


House Of Wolves

by LilahLuck



Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-06
Updated: 2017-12-20
Packaged: 2018-11-28 11:23:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 23
Words: 40,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11416920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilahLuck/pseuds/LilahLuck
Summary: Sequel to Kiss The Ring.Frank and his crime empire rule unchallenged until a face from the past brings everything into chaos.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Part 2.....

Somewhere a clock was striking four.  
The low soft lighting of the hotel corridor was as muted as the hour, nothing but a glow against neutral walls and something to cast shadows on the carpeted floor. It wasn’t an expensive carpet, like the hotel itself it had seen better days but was still thick enough to muffle the footfalls of the last residents turning in for the night.  
Most of the rooms were occupied by tourists that flocked into the city to see its colourful night life and the numerous shops and attractions that lightened its day. As a mid-rate hotel among higher rates the place did pretty well, all the rooms occupied during the high season and fairly full in the winter months. Businessmen used it more frequently then and most were regulars, known to the staff and occupying the various conference rooms during the day.  
Room number twenty two was typical of what was on offer, decorated in a pastel blue with views that overlooked the plaza and its bars and restaurants. It was a good size, an HD television mounted on the wall opposite from the king-size bed and a mini bar along with a decently hot shower and a phone direct to room service. Many a visitor had whiled away a few hours on the balcony where the patio door was now ajar and a gently warm breeze caused the curtains to flutter slightly.  
Thankfully it was far enough from the ground for the current sounds not to carry. The small bottles from the bar led from that door back towards the bed, all of them now empty and joined by the remains of a larger bottle brought up from the bar downstairs. At least one of the occupants of twenty two was pleasantly drunk and would have one hell of a hangover in the morning. Just lucky for him that he was no businessman and had nowhere to be before midday.  
As it was Vinnie Vargas should actually have been at work instead of lying on his back on the rented bed with half lidded eyes and a very happy smile. His job, such as it had been explained, had been to keep an eye on the door at his bosses bar and make sure there was no trouble. His boss didn’t like trouble and normally Vinnie would have been scared enough not to wander away. Door work for the mob may not have been the most glamorous of underworld operations but when Mikey Way told you he trusted you to deal with it, was kind of wise not to say no.  
Vinnie was scared of Mikey, the man was rumoured to be clinically insane and was not to be fucked with. You could bump into him and disappear by nightfall which was bad enough but if you fell into the hands of his lover then death was the preferable option. The beautiful city was owned by one man and his four associates, to cross any of them was to fall into hell. Any veneer of city control was in the hands of men loyal to Frank Iero and everyone knew it. Not that someone as lowly as Vinnie would ever meet the great man, it was not even official that he was involved and any links that went further were only rumours. Dangerous rumours that got men killed.  
So to Vinnie it was yes sir, no sir and nod politely to both Mr Ways if they crossed his path which thankfully was not often. The only ones that used The Metro Bar were the some of the lower ranked captains and the wives. None of them were upstanding citizens maybe but at least they had a sense of humour, the last lame joke Vinnie had tried with Mikey had earned him four broken fingers that still hadn’t set straight. After that, he kept fucking quiet and concentrated on doing his job, even hanging around after his shift to help clear up and keep his good name in front of those above him on the totem pole. Vinnie was not a smart man but he was smart enough to keep his job.  
Which made this current adventure risky and if he had been sober, Vinnie would have never tried it at all. The club didn’t shut till dawn usually and it had been a combination of circumstance and the woman now riding his naked body that had drawn him away. While not ugly, women had never been his strongpoint, a slow brain meant a slow mouth that stuttered occasionally and caused Vinnie to blush at all the wrong times. He hadn’t managed to keep a girlfriend thus far for more than three months which at the age of twenty four was a little embarrassing and had made him an easy catch for a pretty smile and some charisma.  
She had pushed past Vinnie at the door a little after two, almost gulping in the summer air and looking upset. This job made him used to drunken women falling out the place and the boss didn’t like the club getting a reputation as a dive so he had often helped them into cabs or pointed them towards hotels in an effort to avoid a scene at the door. This time the person in question seemed angry rather than feeling the effects of alcohol.  
“Are you okay Ma’am ?”  
Vinnie smiled, a little pride at the sentence coming out without a painful pause that was rewarded with a returned twist up of the lip from the woman in front of him. She could have been anywhere between twenty and thirty, blonde hair falling past her shoulders and resting against the full breasts that pushed up from the tight black dress. Some might have found her face unassuming but there was a strength there that caused the familiar heat in Vinnie’s face.  
“I’m good, just dumped an asshole.”  
“Would you like me to call you a cab?”  
She had paused before walking over to him, her eyes drifting from his face downwards and then back up. He filled the doorman’s uniform well enough and there had been a renewed interest in her face as she met his eyes, a definite smirk now passing her lips.  
“Only if it means you’re going to buy me a drink.”  
A groan escaped Vinnie at the memory, his fingers digging into her hips as the upward movement of his body got a little more frantic. There had been nothing he could do but beg a co-worker to cover for him when she told him her name was Mercy and she wasn’t leaving until they had had that drink. Female company that dominated him slightly was something new to Vinnie and had removed whatever common sense and responsibility that had been drummed into his head by fear. Surely his boss was way too busy to be checking up on such a lowly cog in the machine and even if they did, a hot fuck would probably be a good enough excuse. Even Mikey Way would surely get it although he knew the boss would never look at anything other than the beautiful boy that killed for him.  
One drink in the bar opposite had turned into two before Mercy had shown him the room key and promised a bottle of champagne and an interesting night if he accompanied her to the hotel across the plaza. Her boyfriend had seen fit to be drooling over another woman so it was her intention to enjoy herself with a handsome man and Vinnie was him. Lust and alcohol had combined together in his head and now the journey from that point to the bed was becoming a little blurry, all he knew was how good it felt and how he hoped he could remember her name in the morning.  
The breath caught in his throat as he looked up at her, both of them covered in a light sheen of sweat and he again counted his blessings and the benefits of revenge sex. Mercy’s head had dropped back a little, her fingers gliding over his nipples as both neared to a climax. He had to close his eyes at that point, a low guttural noise escaping him as he felt her tighten around him with a sweet sigh. He rode it out, feeling her hair brush against his chest as her weight tumbled into his arms. It was good, too good to last all that long but he hoped that there would be more before it was time to go back to his normal dull existence.  
“Y-you have to leave me your number at least.”  
Her giggles tickled and he yelped as her teeth closed around his sensitive flesh.  
“I certainly will and I hope you don’t get fired or worse. I know who owns that club.”  
Vinnie smiled, the waning pleasure in his head allowing him more bravery than ever normally showed.  
“I’m on good terms with the boss. I’m sure when I explain the urgent circumstances of my leaving….”  
Now she laughed in earnest, pushing her hair from her face and looking up into his eyes. He noticed for the first time that her eyes were green and flecked with the palest gold, he revised his earlier thought that she wasn’t stunning.  
“I know Mikey Way from a long time back. He’s not a man to be crossed lightly.”  
Vinnie shrugged, the alcohol now wanting to force its way back into his head in place of the lust. Unconsciously he flexed his right hand.  
“I’m just a doorman, they don’t notice me.”  
“I’m sure that’s not true. Powerful men like that don’t hire people they can’t trust.”  
Vinnie closed his eyes again, fingers trailing down the warm skin of her back as the breeze cooled his fevered forehead. Hopefully the night had gone as well for his buddy that he now owed the big favour to.  
“I’d like to think they will notice me like that someday. I would like at least someone to remember who I am.”  
There was a pause as she sighed and slid back from him to rest gently against his thighs. The dozing man hardly noticed and certainly didn’t register the dispassionate stare that he was being held in. All he wanted now was to sleep and reached out to pull his lover down beside him, shared warmth and relaxation would make tomorrow a more pleasant reality.  
“Don’t worry, they are going to know who you are by tomorrow lunchtime. I guarantee it.”  
Vinnie opened one eye and something bright registered against his retinas before it felt like the breath was punched from his body in one lightning fast moment. His hands went numb as he stared down at the impossible sight of a large blade that now protruded from his chest. There was no pain just a spreading weight as he tried in vain to focus his efforts on pulling it out. Guttural noises worked his lips, there seemed to be no breath left to scream as he tried to compute what was happening to him.  
The woman who had ended his life contented herself with sitting on his legs until the blood started to froth and run down his chin. It was interesting to watch the struggles fade, the light go out slowly until only blank eyes gazed out, his expression still slightly surprised. Once she was sure he was dead, the knife was slid cleanly out and used to open a larger wound on his thigh. There was no pressure to make it messy, just a dull pooling on the sheets that was enough to collect and congeal while she cleaned up the few fingerprints that she may have left.  
There was one last thing to do and that task was easily completed, the first light of dawn barely kissing the horizon when she was dressed and ready to leave. The key to the room rested lightly in gloved fingers as she read the simple message for the last time before stepping out and into the passage. The recipient would understand, enough to at least realise it was for him and that his past was now very rapidly catching up with him. The pale blue set off the drying reddish stains nicely, blood almost as good as paint.

FOR THE WAGES OF SYN IS DEATH, REMEMBER YOUR BIBLE MIKEY ?


	2. Chapter 2

“So Frank, what are our plans for the upcoming financial quarter ?”  
“If your wife and mine have anything to do with it we need to purchase Italy by the end of the month. Can’t keep up with the overwhelming need for…..shoes.”  
Frank leant back in the plush comfort of a chair in the Oval Office and took a drag his cigarette before winking at his best friend sitting behind the desk. He was a short, unassuming man, now in his thirties but still boyishly handsome. Tattoos on his hands were the only give away of the violent boy he had been before becoming the businessman that mixed the mafia with high society. President Toro returned the smirk, allowing himself a moment of simple pride at how far they had now come. He had been Frank’s fixer before the Way boys and his best friend had pointed out that it was in politics that Ray could give his family the power and respect it deserved. The bushy haired boy had become a strong handsome man and a genuine leader of all men. A second term had been hard won but fairly, Frank had diplomatically kept out of the campaign and contented himself with supplying the funds necessary. Ray had achieved this on his own, finding that a career germinated in the organised crime business translated well into politics.  
Approval ratings were high, the economy weathering global conditions fairly well and even the fact that the country was now embroiled in a minor war in the Middle East had not dented his appeal. Ray had ensured that Frank supplied all the major arms contracts to the military at a healthy kick back and both men were now rich beyond even their wildest dreams.  
“As much as I like to please Sharon and Claire I really can’t invade another country.”  
“Damn, just have to keep paying those credit card bills then.”  
Frank knew there wasn’t a better man to have running the country, slightly crooked or not. Ray had the quality of loyalty that so few had and it was something that he had always admired. Frank himself remained loyal only to his family, the rest of the rat politicians that Ray had to work with were not to be trusted and he kept tabs on them all. The rumour mill still ran wild and the occasional appearance of Gerard Way and his younger brother in Washington only served to keep the whispers circulating. The charming face of Frank’s family and the patient enforcer made people incredibly nervous.  
Gerard himself never wavered, the bullet to his brain now only troubled him occasionally in the form of violent migraines and controlled acts of rage that Mikey had long since learned to see coming. He remained Frank’s lover, confidante and willing bitch, handling the negotiations with both legitimate contacts and the underground network of Mafioso that still called to kiss Frank’s hand. His confidence had grown and he was now a formidable ally and a feared opponent just as his little brother had always been. Frank now believed it had been a fortunate thing that the shooting had forced Gerard into the business, he would have been much harder to control as President.  
Frank had channelled the younger Way a little differently. Neither Mikey or his lover James was interested in the intricate details of management or politics although both were highly intelligent. They enjoyed the sweet kick of violence and fear that came from working on the ground, handling disputes among the captains of the street quarters and looking after the businesses that brought in the money from drugs and prostitution. Like all businessmen during a depressed period in the economy. Frank had diversified and now owned several fronted businesses that he left to his boys to patrol. James in particular enjoyed handling the informants and inside dealers in the city police forces that ensured his boss remained unseen.  
“Seriously though, we could lose money on that deal to China. Fucking shits undercut us again and some of those weapons are definitely not ours.”  
Frank nodded slowly, making a mental note to ask Gee to arrange a meeting with his Asian contacts.  
“Counterfeit foreign crap is not a problem in itself. I don’t want it to interfere with the global deal with Europe. I’ll get Gee on it.”  
“How is he ?”  
“Well enough, keep telling him we should dig that metal out his skull but he’s a stubborn bitch.”  
Ray sniggered quietly and kept his eyes averted from his secretary’s ass in the tightest skirt as she brought him in yet more papers to sign. Frank gave her his best smile, wondering idly if Ray was fucking her as the woman bustled out of the room again. Nothing in the rules said you couldn’t enjoy the perks of office but somehow he couldn’t see it. Ray remained in love with his Sharon in the sweetest of ways that Frank had never considered. He remained grateful that Claire had never asked him to be exclusive.  
“I should be getting back, got the boys stopping by in the morning to go over revenue and any removals that may be required.”  
Frank stood, slipping easily into the charming public face that so disarmed people. Ray had never got used to this ability, he had seen Frank covered in blood that was both his own and other peoples and yet within the hour he had been greeting diplomats in the best suit money could buy. He was half tempted to ask him to be his ambassador to the Vatican the disguise was that good, he reckoned he would charm half the money from the catholic church within a month.  
“I’m leaving for Europe at the end of the week, sure you don’t want to come ?”  
The shorter man grinned.  
“Invasion of Italy was nixed remember ? Besides I make your Foreign Secretary nervous.”  
“Only because Mikey threatened to castrate him.”  
“He smacked James on the ass. Men have died for that….”  
Ray laughed, pulling Frank into a tight embrace. Part of him missed the chaos and violence that had come with working for his friend. Being the leader of the free world just didn’t compare to negotiating for black market arms and the risks of getting killed were only marginally lower in his current role. Maybe once this second term was done he could go back to just being a hood same as before. Of course Frank was bound to have eyes on a replacement, forever one to see the long game and play the odds. The Vice President was both Ray’s protégé and Frank’s, amazing what you could buy these days.  
Frank was outside before his phone started to buzz in the pocket of his greatcoat. The armed guards and staff were used to seeing the foremost businessman in the country striding around the White House like he owned the place and made sure not to meet his eyes. The man had enemies but none had dared to get close enough to be in the direct firing line, too many foolhardy souls had disappeared before ever finding anything concrete.  
“Frank Iero, you were due home three hours ago.”  
“Ray’s a politician now, he would send me to jail if I didn’t listen to his problems.”  
Claire’s giggle tightened his groin enough for Frank to draw breath. He had married her the year after Ray got elected and never regretted it for a second. She managed his life in a way that enabled him to sleep at night, a constant friend as well as his lover and often Gerard’s. Whatever jealousy had been there at the beginning was now a distant memory. He guarded her, adored her and coveted every second of her company. Which meant these trips to the capital were almost a torture despite the necessity and profit they brought.  
“I’ll catch the next flight, be home by the morning.”  
“Screw you Iero, I’ll just get Gee to wear the maids outfit without you then.”  
“Damn…..send me the photos.”  
Another line buzzed, drowning out her reply and Frank quickly checked the number before smiling slightly.  
“Can I call you back ? Mikes is on the other line.”  
“Fine, call me when you board.”  
Frank nodded to the limo driver, slipping into the expensive car before answering his other call. To his surprise the quiet voice on the other end of the line didn’t belong to the younger Way but to his lover. James hated the phone, would avoid it unless absolutely necessary so Frank was immediately on guard.  
“Hey boss, got a slight issue down here.”  
“You okay ? Mikey ? Gee ?”  
“We’re fine but one of the doormen at the club got taken out last night.”  
Frank frowned, shit happened but it didn’t explain the call.  
“So ?”  
“Left the door with a woman and turned up stabbed through the heart with a single blow. Perp left Mikey a message in blood on the wall.”  
Frank looked out the window at the streets rushing past searching his brain for a reference that was currently escaping him. There had been many times when they had been called to deal with personal attacks but this one made him nervous for a reason that he couldn’t remember.  
“What was the message ?”  
“A bible reference.”  
“Fucking shut the place and have the boys ready for when I get in. Last thing we need is attention.”  
The call ended and Frank sat back to brood, a strange ice seeming to flow up the back of his neck. He remembered now alright, a memory that stretched back a decade to when they had all been just starting out on the path that had made him Don. A memory that was still a cold sick feeling in the pit of his stomach and he felt something that he had long thought dead and buried.  
Fear.


	3. Chapter 3

“So tell me what the fuck is going on.”  
Gerard swallowed a smile at the pout on Frank’s face. The short black hair had grown out into something wilder and it reminded Frank of a fallen angel. The man was gorgeous, a vision in tight black jeans that belied the consummate politician he had once been. He knew he was pouting but the red eye flight back and some bad memories made him feel his age. The desire to grab that hair and twist a little made him smile and the returned gaze told him that Gee was thinking it too.  
Mikey rolled his eyes at James, not exactly unnerved by the problem that they had gathered to discuss but pissed off at his name being raised near the law. Didn’t matter that they owned the President or that most of the high level cops were on their payroll, the prospect of being interviewed was winding him up. He stretched long legs out in front of him and the hazel eyes that matched Gerard’s fixed on Frank. Mikey was just as pretty as his brother, leaner and definitely less likely to smile but still an angel with a devil’s heart. The young man next to him was tall and finely muscled, nothing threatening in a handsome face that regarded everything and everyone with intelligence. Both of them also wore black which Frank always thought had become the family uniform.  
“Somebody is playing a game with us.”  
“I was told he was one of ours, a doorman ?”  
Taking the glass of scotch from Gerard, Frank settled back into the large comfortable leather chair behind his desk. He always found that decisions came to him easier when he was in that chair, in his own office and surrounded by family. He accepted the file from James, noting that Mikey’s lover looked a little uncomfortable and they were actively not looking at each other. Frank was an expert at reading people and sensed a lovers tiff which was unusual in itself. The boys had been together a long time and Frank had never seen them so much as raise voices at each other.  
“Vinnie Vargas. Foot soldier and not a bright one but good at the door job.”  
Mikey flexed bruised knuckles, a smile crossing his normal poker face.  
“He left with a blonde woman two hours early and got one of the other boys to cover for him. Next thing we know he’s turned up very dead in the hotel opposite the club. Took his pal sometime to admit that’s what happened though so it’s not information that’s been shared yet.”  
“Let’s keep it that way. Local police need to stay behind us on this.”  
Frank nodded, looking at the photo of the message scrawled onto the wall. Nothing unusual about it in the underground gangland, his own boys were well known for their calling cards but in a standard homicide it stuck out. The relevance of the bible quote and the person attached to it were not lost on him.  
“It’s hard to remember handwriting from that far back. Do we know if it’s the same ?”  
Gee and James looked expectantly at Mikey. He had been silent about the whole thing although they could both tell that it had spooked him. All that he would say was that Frank and he had seen this before, when they both started out and long before they became any kind of underworld players. James and Mikey had nearly come to blows after Mikey took out some considerable anger on the kid that had watched the door, now James looked to both his partners for some answers. He hated not knowing what was potentially going to bite them on the ass.  
“I’ll dig the photos out but it can’t be the same, you know that.”  
“I’m taking nothing for granted. We need to deflect attention until we know what’s going on and if there is anything else heading our way. Gee ?”  
Gerard took a moment to answer, like James he didn’t like things being hidden from him.  
“I’ll be with Mikes when the police interview him tomorrow. We won’t leave much to go on and I already have the CCTV tapes for us to see if we can recognise this woman. Now, are you going to tell us what is going on ?”  
Frank smiled at the hint of steel in Gerard’s voice. His lover was still submissive in the bedroom but not so much anywhere else. He had grown to like it and to accept that Gerard’s considerable charm and negotiation skills were an asset. This time however it would be best if he didn’t have to divulge too much. The past was something he wasn’t going to bring up unless it was absolutely necessary. Back then Gerard had been at college and well way from the madness on the streets.  
“I want to rule it out before we discuss it. We came across something similar back when we were kids and nearly ended up in a premature grave because of it. Personally I agree with Mikey, it’s someone who’s done some digging and is fucking with us. No more than that.”  
Gerard knew that Frank wouldn’t deviate once he made his mind up and decided to drop it for now. Both he and James had intentions of working on their respective lovers once the mood had softened a little. Wasn’t called pillowtalk for nothing.  
“In the meantime, double security here. Make sure the girls are protected and that the press is left with as little to gossip about as possible.”  
Frank watched his associates nod, already deciding that he would need sleep and food before he attempted to confront his past. It was nearly five in the morning and he had managed maybe six hours sleep out of the last forty eight. Even the mighty Frank Iero couldn’t cope on that level of sleep indefinitely. The thought of Claire sleeping upstairs was becoming slightly intoxicating and the scotch didn’t help. He rubbed his eyes and smiled.  
“Please tell me there’s nothing else and I can go to bed ?”  
“Only one thing boss.”  
James smiled slightly at the wink that Frank gave him. They had become closer lately, managing the Way boys tended to be a full time job and Frank had come to think of the young man as a protégé. Now he had hit thirty he was beginning to think about starting a family and maybe actually enjoying some of his wealth. He would need someone stable to delegate to and neither Mikey or Gerard fitted that bill. James had seen that he could wield some real power and had some ideas of his own in which way the family could go next. He didn’t want to be Frank but he wanted to pull some of the strings.  
“We have the Chinese delegation requesting a meeting next week. Considering what happened and the increased security should we put them off ?”  
Frank waved a hand.  
“No, this will blow over and Ray needs us to settle the China deal. Now fuck off so I can sleep.”  
The other men chuckled and quickly headed for the door. Frank allowed them to reach the end of the hall and for the quiet of the house to settle before shutting the door again and heading over to his desk. After sitting back down and checking the revolver was still in the drawer he looked back at Mikey.  
“Check the spelling, maybe it’s a clue and yes, before you say it I know it can’t be her.”  
“I’ll kill whoever it fucking is.”  
Mikey looked murderous, it had bugged him that he had fought with James and that it still bugged him a decade down the line. He had always been able to move on, to deal with what he did for a living and never look back. He was aware that he loved James more than he had loved anything ever and found that even that bugged him, he never wanted his enemies to know that he had a weak point and that the man he loved was it.  
“It’s nothing Mikey.”  
Both men turned at the sound of the door, Claire appearing and smiling at the two exhausted men. It was typical that neither of them kept routine hours but she didn’t like to see either of them fall sick. The temper tantrums tended to be unbearable.  
“You do know what time it is ?”  
Frank stood again and Mikes took his leave, an apologetic kiss on the cheek telling Claire that something was clearly bothering both of them. Frank contented himself with pulling his wife into his arms and burying his face in her rainbow coloured hair. It was too late to be worrying about a dead doorman and someone’s idea of a sick joke. His hands stroked down her back, his mind automatically relaxing at the feel of her body pressed against his.  
“Dear me Mrs Iero, is that a demand that I fuck your brains out ?”  
“You couldn’t even get if up right now.”  
Gerard’s laugh from down the hall caused Frank to turn the lights out and discard the image that slung itself into his tired brain.  
A forest floor.  
Mikey with the familiar crazy smile on his face.  
Ray, pale and shaking.  
Someone screaming.  
And a dead woman in amongst the autumn leaves.  
That nightmare had haunted him for many years and it had been a few more since it had bothered him but still Frank found himself reaching in the bedside cabinet for the sleeping tablets that Gerard occasionally still took. Whatever was coming would need his attention, a murder that linked itself back was still bad for business. That last thing he needed was to be reminded of the old days and the blood it had cost to get him here. You could be a rich man and still have no peace of mind.  
“This is nothing to worry about right ?”  
Claire kissed his lips as Frank felt the pills take effect.  
“No baby, nothing at all.”


	4. Chapter 4

D.I Johnstone stared at the two immaculately dressed men in front of him and knew this case was already dead in the water. Didn’t matter who the stiff was or whatever evidence connected these men to the murder, they had more money for lawyers than he would make in his entire career and enough political clout to make it all go away. Personally, he couldn’t decide which of the Way brothers he disliked more. One might wear a suit and the other simple jeans and tee but he knew that he was looking at a pair of killers.  
“So you’re telling me you don’t know what the message means and why it’s addressed to you ?”  
“Not a clue.”  
Mikey Way still held the poker expression, the detective didn’t think it would change if they were discussing the weather or looking at one of the corpses that the police department were fairly sure had his name on. Eric Johnstone had wanted to jail the bitch for years, him and the pretty boy that was usually at his shoulder and yet for all the rumour nothing had ever come even close to linking him to a body. Until now.  
“You knew the victim though. He worked for you.”  
The elder brother flashed a bright smile, causing the detective to look his way. He had never been one for politics but he could see why the man had been popular and the expensive suit reminded him of a senator. The signs of the bullet wound that had ended Gerard Way’s political career did not show, only a few knew of the sociopath that lurked within.  
“The unfortunate Mr Vargas was merely a doorman. Our club manager hired him.”  
“You hadn’t met him at all ?”  
Mikey now merely looked bored and glanced at his brother.  
“We may have said hi a few times going in and out the place, right bro ?”  
“Yeah, gotta be nice to the staff. Good for business.”  
The detective gritted his teeth and fought down the urge to lean across the table and punch both of them in the face. All three men knew they were just playing a game here and that nothing was really going to be achieved.  
“And you have no enemies that would want to kill someone to get your attention.”  
There was no question, just a flat tone that Mikey responded to with nothing more than a slightly intense smile. The room seemed to close in a little and Gerard looked again at the crime scene photos with interest. The spelling had caught his attention along with the precision of the injuries. He had learnt a lot in his time within the darker side of his family and knew that he wasn’t looking at rage induced murder but something so much more clinical. Which meant that trouble was most definitely heading towards them and that his brother was in the crosshairs.  
“We are successful, it breeds jealousy and the club business is….cutthroat. But no, nobody that might mean us harm.”  
“Let’s cut the crap on that one. People disappear around you and your friend…”  
“Mr Iero is not involved in any way with this business. Are we finished here or do you have anything relevant to ask ?”  
The detective took a deep breath, flushed from holding his temper and from knowing that his superiors were watching from behind the two way mirror that shielded the interview room. There had been no arrests, both men were free to go at anytime and Johnstone knew that while some of his bosses were owned by career criminals, others were just as keen as him to nail them down. Whichever way this went it looked like he would lose and that bugged the hell out of him even more than being nice to the Way boys.  
“Very well. We need the club to hand over any CCTV footage that may show us the victim leaving and I will need to talk to the other doorman. Strangely none of them are admitting to being on duty that evening.”  
Gerard tapped his fingers against the table before reaching into his pocket and putting the hard drive from the cameras on the hard surface. A copy was already being worked on by one of their contacts so it hardly mattered if the cops were looking at it too. He knew that the doorman had some very explicit orders not to talk and none were likely to break them after seeing what Mikey had done to the moron who had stepped in at the wrong time.  
“I will check the roster and send them in to talk to you. Not a problem.”  
Mikey had gone past the state of boredom and was rapidly approaching the point of getting up and leaving. Frank had banned him from telling Ray what was going on and all the press had been told by the police that the mention of the writing on the wall was not to be leaked to the public. He knew that Ray would be as freaked out as both of them and in some ways it was worse. Toro was the fixer, the organiser and it had taken the memory of being in the front line of some seriously sick shit so much longer to fade in him.  
Who wants to freak out a man with the finger on a nuclear button ?  
“Thanks. I’d appreciate that.”  
“Are we done here ?”  
Johnstone met the cold eyes of the younger Way and nodded slowly. The only method he could use now was patience and strategy. These men would be looking for the perp too and maybe there was something he could do to watch them and use them to his own advantage. He couldn’t help thinking of a colleague or two that had disappeared while trying it.  
“Yes. Thanks again for your…..co-operation.”  
Mikey got up without another word, the scrape of the chair harsh against the tiles. He turned and opened the door before Gerard had even stood up and extended a hand to the lawman. There was an apologetic smile on the handsome face that wound Johnstone up even more.  
“It’s a pleasure. You have my number if there is anything else you need.”  
Gerard knew full well that the cop wasn’t buying that anymore than the rest of the conversation but he allowed himself to enjoy the moment. It bothered him more that neither Mikey or Frank had responded to gentle caresses and wheedling questions on the subject in hand. He had been away at college a lot when the pair of them had started to rise within the mob and had ever only been aware of fragments of the story. James had entered the picture even later and while they had compared notes there were massive gaps. He loved them both but it was not good to think that they somehow didn’t trust him. He followed Mikey’s lanky form down the steps in front of the police station and reached for the keys, tapping his brother on the shoulder before handing them over.  
“Michael, will you ever learn subtlety ?”  
“No and don’t call me Michael.”  
The brothers exchanged a smirk and Mikey started up the car. It was always the same with the law, just stick to the story and they had nothing. Gerard checked his phone for messages and waded through several as Mikey eased the car out and into traffic. Frank had taken the time to personally negotiate the meeting setup with the Chinese and was currently looking over a shipment at the manufacturing facility, several messages oozed excitement over new weapons and more chance for profit. Others were from his various captains and two offered new leads from men on the street.  
“We need to drop by Marco’s. The owner there reckons the woman mentioned on the television was in his place and thought we might like to know.”  
“He’s a month behind on dues. Could be making it up to save his kneecaps.”  
Gerard nodded and skimmed past a couple from other contacts before stopping.  
“Mikes, pull over.”  
There was an urgency to the tone that caused Mikey to quickly latch onto a gap on the kerb, pulling across traffic to slide to a halt. The sound of horns was nothing compared to the surprise and slight alarm on his brother’s face as he passed the phone over. Mikey frowned at the small video that was attached to a message from a blocked number.  
“What the fuck ?”  
The picture was sharp, clarified into a colour that gave no doubt to the amount of blood that came into view. The head wore a slightly surprised expression and neither brother recognised the man from the slack pallor that death had produced. The neck ended in a ragged stump and caused an almost comical angle to the way it was propped on its own against a pillow. The camera sloped along the bed, the rest of the body not being in view until it panned up and showed a faded magnolia wall dripping in bloody print. There was another message and the video lingered on it.

YOU DIDN’T BURY ME DEEP ENOUGH FRANKIE XOXO


	5. Chapter 5

“Scandal in Washington tonight after Republican Senator Malcolm Dean was found dead in his home. Sources report a possible gangland killing although the police department will not comment on reports that a message was left in blood on the victims wall. There had been no previous death threats and law enforcement report….”  
Frank pinched the bridge of his nose and dropped the sound of the television mounted on his office wall. It had been a tense hour since he had put the phone down from talking to Ray. This had become a whole new ball game and there had been no choice but to give Ray the heads up to trouble. Such things could not be discussed openly but they had come to an agreement on certain words that would denote a problem that Frank was busy taking care of. The murder of a politician that the family had previously assisted in all kinds of illegal ways was not what the President wanted to hear but as always he trusted his best friend to get things cleaned up.  
“I think you need to level with us.”  
James never raised his voice, didn’t need to whether he was talking to his partners or the enemy. There was just a simple certainty that he was now through being fucked with. Gerard nodded slowly, never taking his eyes from his brother who sat impassive in the corner. The video on his phone had been scrutinised by all of them but it was only Frank that had recognised the severed head and the identity of the man it had belonged to.  
“FBI will be crawling all over this, we can’t stay in the shadows for long and lets face it this wasn’t like killing some fucking nobody in a hotel room. Whoever did this had balls and class.”  
Frank smiled thinly.  
“Or not if the message is to be believed and it’s the same woman.”  
Claire looked at her husband, knowing that dark brooding look meant trouble for just about everyone in the room. She had insisted on being involved once Mikey and Gerard had managed to find Frank and her about to enjoy the pleasure of a shared shower. It had been unlike him but he had not refused and now she was pleased to be included in his confidence. Whatever had happened to involve killing a senator had to be serious and the fact that now the FBI were looking their way with evidence on her husband made her nervous.  
“I would say there is little doubt. We need to act before this gets the feds breathing down our necks and thinking about charges.”  
Mikey glanced at Frank before answering his brother.  
“Me and James will leave for Washington in the morning and sniff around.”  
They all jumped as a fist slammed down on the table. James glared at his lover and made no attempt to hide the irritation in his voice. Even Frank sat back a little at the expression on the young man’s face. All of them had somehow never realised just how dangerous James could look despite seeing his handiwork on occasion. Only Mikey didn’t flinch, the poker face remaining in place.  
“I’m going fucking nowhere with you until you level up and tell me who is coming after us. I don’t give a damn what you did back then but if they can hit a senator they can hit us.”  
“Jesus, if it was relevant I’d fucking tell you.”  
Claire scooted back as Mikey and James stood toe to toe, none of them had seen the two men fight before although the occasional drunken bar brawl had meant accidental punches in the past. Gerard hesitate and shot a pleading glance at Frank that spoke volumes about the dangers of fighting amongst themselves.  
“SIT THE HELL DOWN, BOTH OF YOU.”  
There was a tense moment before calm was resumed and Frank was able to look around the room without the urge to pull the gun from the drawer. He wasn’t as convinced as Mikey that this wasn’t connected back to something that had remained buried for too long than he cared to think about. If he was to protect his family and his wife, now he needed to be honest.  
“You’re right, we do owe you an explanation whether it has anything to do with this or not. The point is that someone is resurrecting a ghost to come after Mikey and myself and it’s someone who knows a hell of a lot about our pasts.”  
Mikey rolled his eyes and tried not to look at James. They had been fighting more and more over the recent days and it both annoyed and upset him. Mikey liked order and control, James was one of the only people who had the balls and the inclination to argue with him but they had always been able to see past it. Now it seemed an immovable object between them and he wanted it gone.  
“So ?”  
“When we first started running with the old Deforio gang we had to earn our dues. Just simple stuff to start cos we were young and dumb.”  
Frank grinned, the memory of his younger self amused him with its stupidity. He looked back now and wondered how the hell he hadn’t wound up dead rather than sitting here with the money and the power.  
“You both know Mikes and I did a stretch in juvie followed by that year in jail for running protection money. That kind of thing.”  
“Ray wasn’t so dumb. He hooked up the old man with favours right from the start.”  
Mikey leant back and couldn’t resist the smile that slowly crept over his features. It stopped at the irritated sigh from James.  
“Yeah, great. We know this part but where does this shit come in.”  
Frank could understand the boy’s tone but it had been in his psyche for so long to ignore the events that had led up to his taking control of the gang and the causes for it that it was hard to even bring the memories to the surface. With a sigh he unlocked the lowest of his desk drawers and pulled out a faded photograph. His fingers trembled slightly as he slid it across the desk, he had never really known why he had kept the damn thing other than a reminder of where he had started and now the others crowded in for a look.  
Two figures were recognisable, a young Frank wore a broad grin and sported both piercings and multi coloured hair. The dark skinny jeans and band shirt were a reminder of the kid before the man took centre stage and Gerard thought back to teasing him and his little brother on long school holidays at their parents houses. How things had changed and he suddenly realised the amount of sheer decadence that had slid into those innocent kids to turn them into what they all now were.  
Mikey looked even younger and hopelessly gawky, nothing there to suggest the dangerous man inside. There was no hint in the nerdish glasses and lowered gaze that the younger Way was already well on his way to building the fearsome reputation that now proceeded him. Many a man had underestimated the volatile temper and skilled fingers that had soon learnt to wield bat and blade to devastating use. Once guns were involved all bets were off.  
“So who is she ?”  
Gerard pointed to the smiling dark haired woman between the two boys. She looked maybe two or three years older than them but still no more that early twenties. There was a studied sexuality to her that accounted for the smiles all around. The three of them looked comfortable and clearly close which puzzled Gerard. There was no one in his memory that fitted her face and even though he had been away, his brother had usually shared friends and lovers or at least introduced him. Frank tried not to look too closely.  
“Her name was Angel. She was Deforio’s assassin and taught me and Mikey how to kill on a more professional level than just being street thugs. Not just that but how to work your way into a position of power without others noticing. That kind of thing is important if you don’t want to blunder into getting your head blown off.”  
Claire looked closer, fascinated as much by the wistful tone as the chance to see Frank as a young man. He had never been keen to talk about his childhood or show her pictures of himself back then. More so than Gerard she had realised that her husband was an enigma.  
“She was fucking crazy but I never knew anyone better.”  
Mikey risked an apologetic grin at James and was rewarded with a smirk.  
“So what happened ?”  
“We worked with her for nearly two years, snot nosed kids that took far too many risks but it helped us work our way up the tree in the family. And yes before you ask, we were both sleeping with her.”  
Now Frank did chuckle at the unsurprised looks on his friends faces and the knowing smile on his wife’s.  
“Ray was too. What happened shook him harder than anyone because he was in love with her. She knew it but we were never more than a fun distraction to her and she looked on us more as dumb fucks than anything more.”  
James glanced at the phone that was now insistently ringing on the desk. He didn’t make a move to answer it, the urge to find out exactly what was going on was too much but he recognised the number and knew it could possibly be more bad news.  
“This woman is the one that’s now after us ? What’s the link here ?”  
Mikey shook his head and pushed the photograph back towards Frank, surprised at the rush of nausea that threatened to overwhelm him. The room swam a little as he sat down and James frowned. He rarely saw any sign of vulnerability in his lover and it just added to the sense of unease.  
“Angel’s calling card was a pun on biblical verses. Usually written on the wall in the blood of the victim that had died in some nasty way of the clients choosing but it can’t be her.”  
“Why ?”  
There was a pause as Frank dropped his head back against the chair and looked at the ceiling.  
“Because the three of us raped, tortured and murdered her. She’s buried less than three miles from here.”


	6. Chapter 6

New Jersey 2001

Frank winced at the crunch caused by a boot connecting with his ribs and tried to curl up even tighter against the two men who seemed intent on breaking every bone in his torso. Blood from a shallow cut above his eye spattered against the concrete floor and he tried to bite down on the groan of pain in his throat.  
Mikey was faring no better, two large men had him pinned into a corner and were raining blows down as he frantically fought to protect his head. There was blood from a broken nose but his friend wasn’t about to go down easy and was lashing out with kicks that kept the men from being able to break his face. They had been expecting a punishment, failing to collect their bosses debt was not something that foot soldiers got away with but Frank was starting to think that the captains assigned the task were going to kill them.  
Some fucking way to die: a rundown warehouse with nobody around to find their corpses but the local hobos. Would probably sell it or abuse it before anyone remembered to bury them. It wasn’t what Frank had imagined when he started dipping his toe into organised crime and had dragged Mikey along with him. Now he almost wished he’d stayed in school.  
“Well now, what have we here ?”  
“None of your fucking business. The boss said rough the kids up and that’s what we’re gonna do.”  
Frank took the interruption as an excuse to draw some painful breaths and wonder what the hell Angel was doing here. Don Deforio very rarely sent his pet out on anything other than important business, he doubted that she even knew their names and yet she winked at him and lent back against the doorframe. People never realised by looking at her that she could kill them without breaking a sweat. She merely looked like a frail slight girl in a black dress, her shoes shining in stark contrast to the concrete floor.  
“The Don said give them a warning, not kill them or break anything vital.”  
Reardon, area captain and Frank and Mikey’s defacto boss, looked askance and smiled nastily. These boys had trouble written all over them, Way was fucking unstable and the short one was a smart ass, sooner they learned that they were fucking nobodies the better. Quite why the bitch was down here was unclear and it made him nervous.  
“What’s it to you ?”  
“Nothing other than the Don knows you sent the kids here to that address knowing full well the mark had long since left. You’re letting boys take the rap for you now ?”  
Mikey had dropped his hands and risked a glance at Frank. They hadn’t even thought to question whether the beating they were taking was fair, had just accepted that the penalty for not getting the dues was going to be harsh. To know they were scapegoats was bad, to know the Don was watching them was almost worse. Frank watched the interchange closely, he hadn’t trusted Reardon since they had started working for him and wondered what this exchange would mean for him and Mikes.  
“Fuck you, fucking grunts can’t even do a simple job right.”  
Angel pushed off the wall and circled the taller man slowly, everyone had forgotten the two young men on the floor and they used it as an excuse to crawl over to each other and prop themselves painfully against the wall. The other thugs had backed off and were tense, they had all heard the stories and wouldn’t intervene in this argument on either side. The girl was a clear foot shorter than the man but it was he that was trembling a little. She had a fearsome reputation and, worse, the ear of the Don as only a daughter could. Angel could make sure people just….vanished without ever getting her hands dirty.  
“When pride comes, then comes disgrace. My advice to you is to go and confess your sins.”  
Reardon visibly paled, last thing he wanted was to end his life with nothing to show but a bible verse in his own blood on the wall. It would be better to go and acknowledge to his Don that he hadn’t watched the mark for well over two weeks, the time spent swaggering around the neighbourhood and propping up the bars. To have a warning delivered in this way wasn’t a chance that could be passed up.  
“Fine but you little shits need to know this ain’t over. Come on boys.”  
Frank smiled around his split lip as they left, none of them looking back at the smiling woman or the two boys. Everything ached and he knew that a visit to the emergency room would probably be a good idea, the head wound probably needed stitches. Mikey was wearing his normal poker expression, only his eyes showing pain and the hint of the broken nose. Angel turned her attention back to them with a smile.  
“You both ok ?”  
Frank nodded and tried to look as charming as possible.  
“Yeah, thanks to you.”  
“No, you have the Don to thank. He’s been impressed with the way you handle yourselves and has certainly noticed Mikey’s…..talents.”  
Mikey raised his head for the first time and looked at the woman in front of him. He enjoyed the more violent aspects of the errands they ran and the freedom it gave them to act out the frustrations that plagued his mind from time to time. He wasn’t like his brother, college and a regular job had never been in his future, the many shrinks and doctors had tried to cure him or at least fill him with pills had already made that clear. This job gave him an outlet.  
“We’d like to thank him in person, show our gratitude.”  
Angel laughed at the sincere smile on the bruised face of the shorter guy, he was cute under the bruises and Frank Iero already had a reputation as a charmer. Personally she didn’t give a shit if they lived or died but you had to admit the kid had balls and his friend had an interesting skill set. Therefore frightening the loser captain had taken on a more amusing slant than just the normal errand and Angel had never been one to tolerate boredom.  
“After you go see Dr Mills and get those faces fixed. You both look like shit.”  
She extended a hand and pulled Frank to his feet, both of them assisting Mikey in rising before stumbling out into the dull sunshine of a Jersey afternoon. There were no other cars around apart from the two door convertible that Angel had arrived in. With a hopeful smile the two boys followed her towards the sleek car.  
“Any chance of a lift ?”  
“I save your asses and you expect me to be taxi service ?”  
Frank heard the laugh in her voice and decided that he liked her despite the reputation. He had met a lot of interesting people since the Don had allowed them into the family and was keen to learn more. He didn’t want to be a foot soldier for long, he wanted the money and power that swirled around temptingly but still out of reach. His friend Ray was doing better, already proving adept at finding things the bosses needed before they realised they needed them. If Ray could stomach blood then Frank would have considered him competition.  
“We need that doctor and now you saved us, well kinda makes you responsible.”  
Angel choked up another laugh as even Mikey smiled.  
“You really have got brass balls. Fine but only because I’m heading that way and you two would attract attention by walking.”  
“We can handle ourselves.”  
Mikey’s mumble caused another giggle and she put her arms around their shoulders as they covered the final hundred yards.  
“I have no doubt of it but the first rule in this game is never attract attention. Blend in and keep yourself unnoticed. You’ll live longer.”  
“Is that how you do it ?”  
Angel unlocked the car and took a good long look at the two young men. Both of them were attractive, lean and muscled with the certain air of arrogance that turned her on. It had actually been their friend Toro that had worked on the old man to save them, he was a pretty good fixer if a little naïve. Maybe there was some entertainment to be had here.  
“That and I never forget who I’m working for. There is no loyalty among thieves gentlemen, you’d best remember that.”  
Frank nodded, the effort of getting in the car almost causing tears of pain to course own his cheeks. Mikey was silent and sullen, he didn’t like knowing that not only had they now made an enemy of their captain but they were now in the company of the mob’s assassin who also happened to be the Don’s wayward daughter. So much for not drawing attention to themselves.  
“We just want to learn and make ourselves useful.”  
“Sure. The money has nothing to do with it and you can take or leave power.”  
Now Frank did laugh at the mocking tone in her voice and allowed his aching body to enjoy the leather interior of the car. She was smart and he couldn’t help admiring the curve of her breasts under the tight dress. He wanted her, to prove to himself that he could and that this life would lead to a way out of the grey desolate landscape around him.  
“I will take whatever falls within my reach.”  
She met his eyes as the car started and a power game was begun that would ultimately end in death and a different destiny for them all.


	7. Chapter 7

Frank sat on the balcony of his room and watched the first hint of sunrise blush the sky.  
He had always liked this house, it had become his bolthole against a world that was usually out to kill him despite the wealth and power he had amassed since the day he took that beating. Sitting out here with his feet propped on the railing had become a habit that helped him think through his problems without disturbing his wife who slept peacefully behind him.  
This new problem however was different, sleep had eluded him down to an old nagging guilt and he was fucking annoyed at both himself and whoever was out there killing in the name of someone who had been dead for over ten years. He had long since lost any sense of guilt over Angel or anything else he had done but he was damned if it was going to bring down everything he had worked for. So far Mikey and James had found nothing in Washington that would point in a direction to strike back and it bothered him.  
Already there had been tentative requests from the FBI for interview opportunity and they were keeping such a tight lockdown on the crime scene that his boys hadn’t been able to get close. Frank knew that everyone was just waiting for the one mistake that would bring him down and a worried call from Ray had just added to the pressure.  
“If they force a warrant for any of you I can’t intervene.”  
“Ray, I wouldn’t expect you to and besides which we know that these killings had nothing to do with us.”  
“But that senator…”  
“But nothing. Even if they link him back to us there is nothing to make a warrant stick. Just try and make sure that anything we can use comes back to us, fuckers have nailed this down tight.”  
James had already lent on his contacts amongst the Washington PD and so far nobody knew of the video they had received although the message was forming part of the most obvious leads. The link to the case of the sex starved doorman had already been made and Frank knew that talking to the law was inevitable, he just wanted it to be on his terms.  
“It’s four thirty in the morning Frankie.”  
A smile cracked his face as warm arms circled his neck and a familiar scent caused the pain in his head to momentarily be forgotten. Claire was well aware that he sat out here when shit was bothering him and in all honesty she had begun to worry.  
“I didn’t want to wake you. Guess that failed huh ?”  
“Yeah but at least this time you’re not butt naked and firing a shotgun at the pigeons.”  
Frank chuckled despite himself at the memory. Half a bottle of bourbon and Gerard refusing to suck him off had led to a tantrum that had woken up the entire house and made Mikey think they were under some kind of attack. By the time Claire had calmed him down and James had punched him in the face, the compound had been ready to start world war three.  
“Never gonna live that down am I ?”  
Claire curled into his lap, glad to see the boyish smile that had been missing from his face for the last few days. The revelations about his past hadn’t really surprised her, mafia men were not kittens and there were bound to be things he was not proud of. What scared her was knowing someone was out there trying to hurt him.  
“No. I have the pictorial evidence to back it up. Now, what’s the plan to deal with this.”  
“I don’t know what this is. I have been trying to think back to see if there is anyone who knew what happened back then and whether it would be in their interest to come after us.”  
“Like who ?”  
Frank kissed her shoulder, not wanting to talk about it but understanding her need to know just what they were facing. Gerard had spent the day looking for people who were still alive from the Deforio family to see if there was any of them that were in a position to hit back. It was no secret that the order to kill Angel had come from the old man himself and no secret who carried out the job. Frank still believed that someone was using a copycat to get to them.  
“I have enough enemies, you know that. Plus it could be anyone of a thousand people that want Mikey dead.”  
“And Ray ?”  
“Ray just needs to hold firm and keep calm. This will be nothing to do with his presidency if we can squash it. Sooner rather than later.”  
They both lapsed into silence, letting the warm breeze and increasing light wash over them. Gerard would be home soon, hopefully Mikey and James not long after. They would start shaking down the usual contacts and the list of people that Gee had been compiling. Frank would deal with the feds and law enforcement plus juggle the president and the Chinese and still be home for dinner. He snorted back a laugh.  
“Just as I thought life was getting quieter.”  
“You would hate quiet.”  
Frank sighed and let his fingers drift along the edge of the robe Claire wore. There was nothing beneath and her skin was warm and soft. He rested his hand against her heart, reassured that the one good thing in his life was still there. She was content to hold him a little tighter and wonder just how did the sweet kid in the photo turn into a killer.  
“I’m not proud of what I did, I want you to know that. She trusted me and I betrayed her just to get a little further ahead in this game. *  
Claire kissed him gently before answering cautiously.  
“Are you sure it isn’t her ?”  
“Yes. We didn’t take any chances although we had to be as drunk as fuck to go through with it.”  
“Then why is this coming back now ?”  
Frank shook his head, hearing the phone in the bedroom start to ring. Neither of them wanted to move but a phone call this early was either bad news or one of the boys with something to go on. Hand in hand they went back inside, Claire sinking onto the bed as Frank sat next to her and picked up the phone. The number was one he knew well and there was something of a relief as he took the call.  
“Hey baby, you nearly home ?”  
Gerard’s giggle echoed in his ear as Claire visibly relaxed.  
“Not yet but I have found out that your old friend Reardon is still alive and seems to have come into some money recently. He was also seen with a blonde at a bar downtown less than three weeks ago. When Mikes and James get home I think they need to go have a word.”  
“Good, something to go on at last. Call your brother and get him on the next plane.”  
Frank paced again, feeling better now that he had something to point his anger at and that it seemed they were still ahead of the cops. There would be some enjoyment in seeing his old enemy again, Frank had made sure to have the guy kneecapped as soon as they had taken over the running of the family and had made sure that he was watched ever since.  
“I’ll be back in an hour or so. Get the bed warm for me ?”  
“Cheeky little fuck, you better be on your knees when you come through that door.”  
Frank grinned and hung up, pulling the covers back over Claire who had been unable to fight the urge to doze once she had seen that it was not more trouble back at their door. He decided that as sleep was not going to happen he may as well shower and dress, there was enough work to keep him going until everyone was back on home ground and they could plan their next move.  
He tried not to think too much as the hot water washed some of the knots of pain from his back and neck. The familiar ink and bullet scars that littered his body were the marks of a criminal life well lived and he wondered if seeing forty and having a family were beyond his reach. Although they had talked about it bringing children into his world was something that scared him beyond belief. He had buried one woman he had loved and being reminded of his betrayal of another had made him even more certain that it was something he couldn’t do.  
Claire was still sleeping as he headed downstairs, nodding to their bodyguard as he passed. Bob was blond and huge, more than often silent but had never let them down . Frank prized loyalty like that and had made sure the big man was well paid. The cook wouldn’t be on duty for another hour but there was a fresh supply of fruit and coffee that would do until then and Frank contented himself with that while working his way to his office and the familiar bank of paperwork that never seemed to go down.  
It was another hour before the intercom buzzed and a worried voice from the front gate broke into his thoughts.  
“Sorry to bother you sir but the FBI are here and demanding to see you.”  
Frank smiled grimly to himself, not unexpected but somewhat annoying.  
“Ok Joey, let them in and send them up. Could you call Mr Way and ask him to contact my lawyer ?”  
“Yes sir Mr Iero.”  
Frank stood and watched the car come slowly up the drive and park in front of the house. Four suited men, very obviously feds and very obviously dumb, got out of the car and shook themselves down. It never ceased to amaze him the amount of preening that these men seemed to want to do. He bet none of them would last five minutes with any of his boys. Wearily Frank padded out into the hallway and opened the front door.  
“Frank Iero ? You’re under arrest for the murder of Senator Dean.”


	8. Chapter 8

The dusk of another evening fell as Claire sat in Frank’s chair on the balcony.  
It had been a long and exhausting day of phone calls and lawyers and constant irritation. It had ended as it had begun with Frank still in custody and the feds being stubborn. Now she was waiting for Mikey and James to come back home so they could decide what to do next. She knew that Gerard was down in Frank’s office still on the phone and doing his best but right now there seemed nothing to do but wait.  
She felt numb, no matter how many times they kept saying that there was no evidence, that there was nothing anyone could pin on him, the thought of Frank being in jail was something that she could hardly stomach. There was no fear in her, just a deep and burning anger. Of all the things he had done, all the things that legitimately could be placed at his door and it was something that he was innocent of which got him locked up. In the mood she was in Claire would have been happy to take whatever guns Mikey had left lying around and go get him out.  
“He’ll be out by morning, no crazy shit. Coming from me you know that’s a good idea.”  
“You a mind reader now Mikey ?”  
“When it comes to you ? Yes.”  
Claire smiled and folded her arms against the increasing cold. They had known each other a long time and he had become a brother to her after their relationship had fizzled out. Ironically it had been due in part to her wish to avoid all the violence he was caught up in and the trouble it tended to bring. She hadn’t been surprised when he had settled into a long term relationship with James, he had never been content to limit his sexuality.  
“I wasn’t going to batter the door down and break him out really.”  
“Not a bad idea but Gee says the lawyer is confident of cracking them by morning. I’m gonna grab a shower and then go down there with him and meet the fucking overpaid prick.”  
He regarded her pale face and knew that there was anger there and that he was damned if some snot nosed bitch agent was going to keep Frank from his family for any longer than one night. He had arranged for his old buddy Reardon to be brought in and knew his lover was extracting information on this new enemy downstairs somewhere. The fact that he wasn’t down there enjoying it also pissed him off.  
“You need sleep and food, how long where you on that plane ?”  
“Too long but it will wait. Ray is trying to divert the attention of the press onto some of his new budget initiatives. Quite what the fuck that will do is beyond me but he thinks it will help.”  
She chuckled, Mikey and politics were two things that just didn’t mix.  
“It will help take the press heat off, maybe make the feds lose interest a little.”  
Mikey shrugged and checked his watch, it was hard to remember when he had last slept but there was still enough energy in the tank to make it through till morning. He had managed a few words with Frank who seemed more amused than anything else and certainly wasn’t taking the murder charges too seriously. The fact that the message on the wall had been addressed to him was a pretty big fucking clue.  
“James and Bob are here plus the guard is on alert. Any sign of trouble and give me a call.”  
“I’ve been home alone before Dad.”  
A giggle escaped him and Claire took the opportunity to wrap her arms around him in a hug. He returned it gratefully, his face buried in her hair. He had been serious with the warning, Frank had been very clear that the compound was to be locked down and that his wife was to be guarded at all times. Both Mikey and Gerard had received lectures on being careful, making sure James was careful and that Ray was kept out the whole thing as much as possible. Mikey had begun to think that even if Frank went down he would never give up control of the family.  
The cold and Mikey’s desire to leave drove them inside and back down into the office where Gerard was slouched and tired in the big leather chair. The older Way looked less happy than the younger, a persistent ache in his head was a warning that the bullet wound was suffering from the stress and he welcomed it. There was a freedom in the violence that usually followed and he had been unable to resist the urge to go and watch James at work for a while. Now he was ready to head out and make people remember who the fuck they were dealing with.  
“C’mon Gee, lets go scare the shit out of some suits.”  
“Subtle, always so subtle. Although if there is any fun, I get to hit him first.”  
Claire rolled her eyes and shooed Gerard from the desks.  
“No hitting anyone until Frank is on his way home.”  
Both of them mock saluted and went back outside, instructing her to bolt the doors behind her. Claire had a brief conversation with the staff and even forced down a sandwich before returning upstairs to her room. The hours seemed determined to tick by as slowly as possible and she couldn’t bring herself to watch television or read. Even a brief call with Sharon did little to ease the waiting and it was nearly one in the morning before James appeared, the red stains up his arms that were drying to brown telling her all she needed to know.  
“Is he still alive ?”  
“Yes, he doesn’t get to die till the Don says so. Interestingly he is convinced that the woman he met was indeed Angel, the woman they buried.”  
Claire frowned and pulled Frank’s sweater a little closer around her body. James was as calm as always, not showing his thoughts or emotions although she knew he would be playing every possibility out in his mind.  
“Frank was convinced it couldn’t be her.”  
“They were young and blind drunk, we can’t take anything for granted and need to think for them over this. Can’t say either of them are thinking clearly and I’m banned from mentioning it to Ray at all.”  
He checked the door to the balcony was locked and considered the options again. People didn’t lie to him without James being able to see it and everything pointed to the scared middle aged man telling the truth. He had said she wanted to look up Frank for old times sake, she had been abroad and only just got back. When Reardon had admitted that he thought she was dead, the woman had told him that there were a lot of things about the past he was mistaken about.  
“Well, goodnight. I’m taking first watch and then Bob will be just outside the door.”  
“Get some sleep yourself. Pair of you will pass out by morning.”  
James gave her a charming smile and left Claire to continue trying to pass the hours. Sleep was something else that seemed determined to evade her even though every bone in her body ached and she knew nothing else would happen until morning. Finally exhaustion won through and a deep and dreamless sleep enveloped her until it was shattered by a single frightening sound.  
Glass breaking.  
Claire sat bolt upright and listened again. For a moment she believed she imagined it before something that sounded like furniture moving made a cold sweat break out on her skin. For a moment she considered calling for Bob but Claire knew that it would attract attention if there was indeed someone in the house. Slowly and carefully she glanced at the clock and slipped from the bed toward the door. It was a little after four, the chill permeating even the deep carpet and the sound of her own ragged breathing was unnaturally loud.  
There was no one outside the door, no sign of Bob or James or any of the other men that routinely checked the house and grounds. Claire tried not to panic, they may just be in the kitchen drinking beer while James slept and she would go down and yell at them a bit for scaring her. There was no reason to believe that anything was wrong and yet every internal alarm bell was going off.  
The moon shone through the landing window and every step took her closer to the main stairs. Again she cursed herself for leaving the revolver locked in Frank’s study drawer but there had seemed no need for it when James was somewhere nearby. She reached the bannister and a low moan became stuck in her throat. There was something about facing your worst fear that made it seem unreal and yet the shadowy figures below were all too solid.  
“Ah, Mrs Iero. I wondered if I would have to come looking for you but here you are. Come down, please. We have so much to talk about.”  
The female voice was friendly and slightly accented with the familiar New Jersey. There were five men with the lone woman, all of them in black and masked up whereas she just wore dark jeans and a black leather jacket zipped up. This woman was not blond and she was older but it was still very much the woman in the photograph and worse was the figure who’s hair was tightly gripped in her fist, his head twisted up at a painful angle. Blood ran freely from a head wound that caused a certain confusion in his eyes but he was clearly pissed off at being taken by surprise.  
“James ?”  
“James is fine, this is Mikey’s pet right ?”  
Claire could do nothing but leadenly walk down the stairs. A better view of the hallway caused even more terror. Bob lay in a pool of blood, the dark stain spreading from his head onto the cream carpet and making a purple glaze in the moonlight. All she could think about was the gun pressed tightly to James’ head and the pleasant smile on Angel’s face.  
“Frank isn’t here. He’s in jail.”  
Angel smiled and twisted a little harder, enjoying the grunt of pain from the young man kneeling beside her. The compound had been surprisingly easy but then patience and the new men in her life made so much seem achievable and there had been an insider to make it all possible.  
“I know. I didn’t come for him. I came for you because we need to have a serious talk. Finding out that there was something else of value here was just an added bonus.”  
Claire found she couldn’t speak, not even when two of the large men forced her hands behind her and cuffed them tight. She considered trying to make a fight of it but James shook his head and kept so still that she knew it wasn’t worth the risk. While she was well aware that this was the one thing guaranteed to make Frank go into full on psycho mode, it wasn’t exactly a comforting thought.  
“You touch me and Frank will hunt you down.”  
Angel giggled, there was no point in doing this otherwise. She had only heard rumours about Mikey’s lover and had been given a photo but it hadn’t done him justice. James had put up a hell of a fight considering he had been unarmed when jumped, the two bodies outside were the result and Angel knew that she was looking at a powerful enemy. It was a shame but there was little alternative.  
“Problem is, I only have room for one and Mikey fucking Way needs a message. Isn’t that right James?”  
“Do what you have to. Claire, turn away.”  
For a minute she didn’t understand, only seeing the smile that crossed his face and the sadness in his eyes before realising what this meant. Time seemed to slow and despite his words she couldn’t look away from where Angel now smirked at her and the desperate pleas for mercy that fell from her lips in a rush of air and screeching emotion. James closed his eyes, accepting that this was how it would end and only thinking that he hadn’t said goodbye to Mikey before he had left.  
Claire screamed as the sound of a gunshot split the night in two and echoed out into the air outside.


	9. Chapter 9

Frank leant against the desk, his best infuriating smirk plastered across his features.  
The cop behind the desk glanced at the two federal agents and his own DI as he handed Frank a pen with which to sign for his possessions. He knew from the gossip around the station that the feds had been clutching at straws with the flimsiest of warrants and Frank Iero had walked out of there plenty of times before on stronger evidence. The most they had seemed to have to pin him on was the odd shady agreement with the dead senator and the desk sergeant doubted that even that would stick.  
“Overnight facilities have certainly improved but the breakfast is still shit.”  
Frank couldn’t resist the dig at the agents, still annoyed that he had been forced into hours of questioning over his business dealings. It was like a broken record but he had picked up that the feds were no further forward with the investigation than his boys and had no idea of just who they were looking for. Alive or dead, Angel had always had a knack for staying off the radar of law enforcement.  
“Please stay within the city limits so we can speak to you again if required.”  
Frank’s smile darkened a little as Mikey and Gerard appeared at his shoulder, a unified show of strength from one group of very powerful men. There was nothing threatening in it, merely a confirmation that this was a family, that there was little for any of them to fear. The agent swallowed, he had gone as far as his remit allowed, buy some time and see if there was anything that the man would give away even if it was the smallest detail. They would study the tapes over and over and hope that Frank had slipped.  
“Next time get a better reason to haul me in here and I might agree to that.”  
Frank knew he hadn’t slipped and he flashed a smile at his terrified lawyer. The man had never been quite the same since waking up to find James sitting on the end of his bed with a pair of pliers. The loss of a few permanent teeth had been a good incentive to do a better job but he was left a shaking mess whenever he got the phone call that the boys needed him. The man made sure to look away as Mikey met his eyes.  
The feds knew they could do no more and headed back into the interview room that had been used for every legal hour possible to question the Don. Gerard smiled cheerily at his friend and they headed back outside into the first light of the day. Mikey checked his phone, pleased to see the two a.m text from James saying all was well and realised that it was now just past seven.  
“Fucking time wasting pricks. Anything new ?”  
“Reardon was singing when we left, said its her alright but he’s drinking a bottle of scotch a day so let’s not bet on it. Do have a number in California to check out though.”  
Frank rubbed his eyes and decided to call Claire before they headed for a coffee. It was an hour drive to get home and there was no way he would make it that far even if either of the Ways could and that was unlikely.  
“They know fuck all, we’re still ahead of the game. We checked in at home ?”  
“All ok at two. I’ll call Bob.”  
Mikey slumped into the drivers seat and flicked through his phone. He had wanted to start a little show for the cops given that all of them knew the arrest was bullshit but seeing the chickenshit laywer quake was almost as good. Gerard was updating Frank on the press reaction to his arrest and the background check into who their dead buddy Dean had been screwing.  
“No answer.”  
“Strange, he was staying on right ?”  
“Yeah, doing a double shift till ten.”  
Mikey frowned and dialled again, listening to it ring before a grumpy voice demanded he leave a short message. Alarm bells were sounding and he dialled the security number at the house and was answered again by nothing but the dial tone. Finally he dialled James, there was still no answer bar a ringing tone and the automated message.  
“We need to get back, call the captains and get someone over there.”  
James would never turn his phone off, he answered any text message Mikey sent within a minute and on the rare occasions when Mikey rang him it was always answered on the first ring and now he was seriously fucking worried. Frank caught the look and dialled Claire, willing her to pick up and breathily giggle that they were all in the hot tub again or some ridiculous story.  
“Fuck. Nothing. Move it and screw any red lights.”  
The car leapt forward, the best engineering money could buy easily hitting eighty on the quiet morning roads. There were no responses from anyone at the compound and it would be another fifteen minutes before anyone else would get there. Gerard suggested the local PD and Frank considered it briefly.  
“They could be in on this. Let’s not panic yet but we need to consider that we may have been set up here. Check in on Ray.”  
Gerard swallowed down a sick feeling in his throat and quickly made it through to Ray on his private line. The jovial greeting was cut short by the news that there could potentially be trouble at home but at least it was one less worry. They continued to drive, all of them trapped in a nervous nightmare of all too graphic possibilities. Every five minutes Frank continued to check Claire’s mobile until Mikey’s phone rang. He flicked on the speaker, the number belonged to one of their smarter captains.  
“Manny, talk to me.”  
“Boss, FUCK….boss they’re all dead !”  
Frank went cold as a low moan escaped Gerard. Mikey snarled.  
“WHO THE FUCK IS DEAD ?”  
“The guards and Bob, jesus there’s blood all over. They hit us hard boss !”  
Frank leant across and cut in.  
“Calm the fuck down. Where is my wife ? Where is Claire ? And James ?”  
There was silence for a moment and some muffled voices before the man came back on the line. All three of the occupants of the car waited in a varying state of fury and fear. Frank was convinced he had been set up, the evidence had been to flimsy to pull him in. This had been an excuse to hit at him at the one weak point everyone knew he had.   
“Mrs Iero isn’t here. We searched the house and I have men searching the grounds. We can’t find her.”  
Frank closed his eyes, the possibility of kidnap was somehow a relief. He remembered his Linda, identifying a broken body of one woman he had loved had been enough, he was fucking determined not to go through that again. He was furious, the familiar hot urge for violence sweeping through his body before he forced himself to breathe. A clear head was needed now, if someone had Claire, they wanted something from him.  
“Where’s James ?”  
Mikey’s voice was tight and clipped, Gerard listening intently as there was another pregnant pause. The seconds seemed to stretch further and further.  
“He’s…..he’s dead boss. There’s nothing we could do, they must have been hit a few hours back.”  
The connection was quickly cut, a primordial scream of rage breaking from the younger Way as the car dovetailed across three lanes of traffic. Frank dove forward and grabbed the wheel, carefully controlling the skid into the side of the kerb. For a heart stopping second he didn’t think they would make it before the car finally stopped.  
“Gerard. Drive.”  
Frank ignored the sounds of horns and the desire to destroy every living thing within a ten mile radius as he pulled a still screaming Mikey into the back of the car and punched him hard. Gerard managed to control his shaking enough to pull them back into the traffic and accelerate forward again at an increased rate than before. He found he couldn’t trust himself to speak.  
“Mikey, listen to me. If they have Claire then we have a way to them and when we track them down you get them first but until then we HAVE to focus.”  
Mikey couldn’t hear him, his mind had shut itself down for the one single thought that someone had taken his boy. Taken the one thing that Mikey had loved in his whole fucking life and murdered him. They had fought so much in the last week and now every single harsh word echoed into his brain. His mind was fracturing and Mikey let it, only hearing James in his head in those rare moments when they had given voice to the love between them. He didn’t care if Angel was alive, whoever had done this was dead.  
Frank knew that for now his friend was beyond reach and let Gerard concentrate on steering the car ever onward into increasing traffic. He leant forward and picked the phone from its cradle on the dash. Manny picked up on the first ring.  
“Boss ? What do we do ?”  
“Call it in. We can’t hide this and I want nowhere for these fucks to hide. I want the press and the police and even the fucking feds. I want them found and gutted. Now listen to me, is there anything written on the wall ?”  
There was a pause before the voice returned.  
“Above James’ body yeah, written in blood, it says…a soothing tongue is a tree of life but a deceitful tongue breaks the spirit, speak to Ray…”


	10. Chapter 10

Claire shifted uncomfortably on the hard plastic chair and again tried to work a hand loose from the cable ties that bound her solidly to it. Time had passed, she must have been here for more than two or three hours and the pain was starting to become something that simple breathing would not help with. The scarf blindfolding her eyes was black, the material rough but at least there was no gag and she could breathe. The air was thick and stuffy, a hint of mustiness that made her wonder if it was a cellar. Somewhat impossible to tell.  
The shivering had nothing to do with the temperature. It had all happened so fast and still seemed completely unreal. That she had been looking at that sad smile one minute and then….Claire tried to fight back the nausea, her mind rebelling from contemplating James’ death and concentrating on picking anything up that would help her. If Frank and Mikey had got home and they still had people there it didn’t bear thinking about. There could be a gun battle raging or maybe they didn’t even know. She tried the ties again, a frustrated half scream breaking loose.  
There was little point in screaming for real, these people were clearly not amateurs and she already knew that the woman that Frank had believed was dead was clearly really pissed at him and Mikey. Claire again wished that she had pressed him harder on the subject of what exactly had happened, all she knew was that it had been bad enough to provoke all this mess. She smiled to herself at the thought of the revenge Mikey would spread across the entire fucking country until he caught up with the woman that had killed James.  
There were muffled sounds from upstairs and Claire thought she heard a door slam. The blindfold had gone on before they left the house. More silenced gun shots had reached her ears as strong hands dragged her out the house and into the trunk of a car. That had possibly been the most frightening part included with the knowledge that possibly everyone on the compound had died except herself. The urge to panic had been huge but if living within the mob had taught her one thing it was that a clear head was everything when the odds were not in your favour.  
A door opened and she held her breath. The fear had returned as heavy footsteps deposited something metal on the floor in an opposite corner and then circled the chair where Claire sat. She held her breath and instinctively turned towards the sound but it didn’t stop until she became still again. There was a pause and Claire gritted her teeth, damned if she would show any weakness in front of these fucks.  
“You’re prettier than I thought you’d be. Shame about your old man being such a murdering bastard y’know.”  
The voice was deep and male, the faintly mocking tone obviously designed to rile her up. Claire wasn’t going to give in, she was no princess who would whine and beg for them. She had got used to violent men and had to admit that under different circumstances this would be faintly arousing.  
“My husband will hunt you down and kill you.”  
There was a giggle and Claire gasped as a hand fondled her breasts roughly. She bucked against the chair and earned more laughter before she heard the door open again. The hand disappeared and lighter footsteps came across the floor toward the chair.  
“Hands off the meat Zacky, we want her in one piece now don’t we ?”  
“Sure boss….for now.”  
There was the sound of another chair being drawn up and then the blindfold was pulled away from her face. The light felt intense and Claire screwed her eyes tight shut for a few seconds before cautiously trying to pick out the room and the two people in front of her. A low hiss caught in her throat as she recognised Angel and guessed that the man behind her was Zacky. He was eyeing her with an annoying smirk and she found that her reminded her of Frank, more than a little disconcerting.  
The room itself was indeed underground, no windows and only the light from one bulb to highlight the concrete floor and minimal furniture. There was a cot, loosely made up with pillows and blankets, a bucket and the two chairs. That was it, not even a door in sight, just a set of wooden steps leading up. One way in and one way out.  
“So, here we are.”  
“You murdering fucking bitch!”  
Angel smiled, there was no doubt that Frank would be spitting fire by now and she would really have his attention. It had been a shame not to bring the boy along but he was far too resourceful and a danger if the evidence of his previous work was to be believed. Better to leave a good solid message that would make them a little more careful to avoid playing hard. She cared not if the woman in front of her died too, as long as she got what she wanted first.  
“You’re already dead.”  
Claire turned her face away, trying to avoid looking at either of them.  
“Yeah, well Frank already tried that and fucked it up royally so don’t mind me if I don’t buy into your threats.”  
“He’s convinced you’re dead.”  
Angel leant forward, studying Claire. Frank had a type that was for sure but she wondered if this one knew how truly corrupt he was. It had taken a lot of work and effort to pull this off and even after ten years, rage still flowed through every cell in her body at what the little fucks had done to her. Frank and Mikey were going to be destroyed and know exactly who was doing it.  
“He’s never been as smart as he likes to think he is. They were children back then, all piss and vinegar except for Ray. He was just easy to manipulate.”  
Claire didn’t like looking at her kidnapper. There was nothing overtly threatening in the dark haired woman in front of her. Whatever Frank had done to try to take her out there were no scars visible. You could walk past her in the street and not know what she was capable of. Remembering Frank’s description of her, Claire stuck out her chin.  
“You’re just a killer, then and now.”  
“That I am, never claimed to be any different. What did he tell you ?”  
Claire carefully laid out the bones of what Frank had told her, seeing the man look on in interest at what she said. His gaze was difficult to hold, the intricate tattoos up his arms and pierced lip was distracting, reminding her of Frank when he wasn’t in a suit and out behaving like a businessman, she looked away again.  
“Bare bones of the story. I notice he left out the gory details.”  
“Enough that I know why you did this. Why kill James ?”  
Angel smirked, the anger in Claire’s voice was amusing given that she was tied to the chair.  
“James would have caused trouble and I like fucking with Mikey Way. Now make yourself at home, hopefully your husband will do what I ask and we can soon end this.”  
Angel smiled and got up, pushing the chair back against the wall. It was obvious to both women how it would probably end but why not give the lie that each would go back to their lives. She whispered into Zacky’s ear and disappeared up the stairs.  
He said nothing to Claire, merely roughly cutting the cable ties loose and pointing towards the bed. “Not as luxurious as you’re used to but we’ll feed you at least.”  
Claire refused to answer, rubbing her wrists and quickly scooting away from him across the room. Zacky found that more amusing than the previous conversation and was in front of her before Claire could get out of view again. He pulled her up by the hair, full lips pressed against hers for a few seconds before she landed roughly on the bed again.  
“Settle in sweetheart and we’ll all play nice.”


	11. Chapter 11

There was a different atmosphere between Frank and Ray since the two had last met.  
A full day had passed, the death toll at the compound had been twenty two with only Claire seemingly taken and unaccounted for. Mikey had been sedated by force, neither Frank or Gerard wanted to be responsible for a massacre which had been likely from the younger Way. It had taken everything Frank had in him to stop Mikey from seeing the shattered body that had been his boy. There would have been no coming back from that, Frank had done some difficult things in his life but identifying James had been one of the hardest and he knew that he had lost not only a friend but a brother.  
Frank had left Gerard assisting the police and talking to the press. He always loved the man but now more so than ever, Gerard had shouldered all the responsibility for dealing with the multitude people that swarmed over the compound like locusts. He handled it with grace despite the pain of their loss and his overriding worry for his little brother. Frank had been sorry to leave, the anguish mirrored in Gerard’s eyes but they both needed an answer to the riddle.  
Ray had been angry on the phone which surprised Frank a little. He had kept the truth quiet to try some damage limitation and knowing how badly Ray had been affected by Angel and the whole episode.  
“You should have fucking told me.”  
“Told you what ? That someone knew about her ? Plenty of people knew what happened.”  
Ray had sworn again and tersely informed Frank that he’d cleared his diary for the morning. Frank had been on the first plane out, only the fact that Gerard was in so much control allowing him to go at all. He kept his phone in his pocket, the minutes passing too slowly and the pain in his head growing too fast. Someone should have contacted him by now for a ransom.  
Now they were back in the Oval Office, all calls diverted and one of Frank’s own men guarding the door. Both men held glasses of fine whiskey as they had before but both showed the signs of little sleep and a large amount of worry.  
“I can’t believe this. I thought we left this shit buried a decade ago and now James is dead and Claire could be. I don’t even have a clue where to start.”  
Frank’s face was a picture of rage, the boyish features twisted to resemble a devil. Ray took a breath and tried to think around the fear in his heart. Being President, being anybody, was thanks to the man in front of him and yet a simple decision made as an idiot in love was now going to possibly come between them.  
“You think it’s her ?”  
“It can’t be her, she’s fucking dead. The messages are certainly the same style and she was fearless enough to try this but she’s still fucking dead. Which means someone is coming after us. Reardon was taken out too so that line is not going to help but there is a link to this address in Cali. Turns out to be a bar, I have someone looking into it.”  
Ray took another sip of his drink and turned to look out the window.  
“Which bring us to you Ray.”  
“The message.”  
Frank watched his friend carefully, the body language was now screaming at him and he could always tell when someone was hiding something from him. The bible verse had referred to deceit and he wanted to know just what he was dealing with before he went looking for blood. There was little he could hear now that would actually surprise him to any great extent.  
“What did it mean ? Are you hiding something from me cos shit Ray, right now I don’t know who I can trust anymore. Mikey is out of it, Gerard is coping but fuck knows for how long and James is….gone. I have to find Claire and if you know something, fucking tell me.”  
Ray turned, the pain etched on his face adding another ten years on his age.  
“She’s not dead. I don’t know where she is, I don’t know why she’s coming after us now but I have some ideas about what happened.”  
Frank rubbed his eyes, the breath frozen in his lungs.  
“She was dead, we shot her six or seven times. What the fuck ?”  
“I went back. After we left and you and Mikes went to the old man. The ground was disturbed and I was so fucking scared. When I unearthed her wrist there was a pulse.”  
Ray sat heavily in the chair, avoiding Frank’s eyes as his mind drifted back to the horror of that woodland glade. He had been sick at what he’d done, that he had forced himself on her despite her pleading and the pain in her eyes. He had loved her but it had never been a choice between what his Don and his friends wanted, only after had the guilt crept in. He had been drawn back to that spot and the horror had merely continued.  
“I….I pulled her out. She wasn’t conscious but she was alive. I called Don Deforio and we got her picked up.”  
Frank shook his head, a surging anger breaking into his voice.  
“HE ORDERED IT !! HE WANTED HER DEAD !!”  
Ray winced, somewhat glad that the desk was between them and that there was an army of heavily armed men close by. He had no doubt that under different circumstances there would be a gun aimed at his head by now.  
“She was still his daughter. Justice had been served in the eyes of the family, he had proved his point. Could hardly blame him for allowing a fluke to save her too.”  
Frank felt sick. There had been no doubt in his mind that you couldn’t walk away from what they had done and yet he knew all about the fluke of survival. Gerard should be a vegetable or dead after taking a bullet in his head and all of them had been young, drunk and inexperienced. Now he would never have allowed an execution without a double tap to the head but back then…even Mikey had been more reckless, less likely to check.  
“Go on.”  
“She was in a coma for years. Long after you killed the old man and took over the family. I kept the bills paid and expected to bury her quietly and without fuss. Call it a way of assuaging my guilt and putting right what I felt was a wrong. Only after four years, she woke up.”  
“You should have told me.”  
Ray nodded, relieved to recognise that Frank was going into thinking mode. There would now be a debt to pay but it would not be collected until this threat had been extinguished and all was back how Frank wanted it. Either that or they would all die and the fact that Angel seemed bent on a vendetta made that so much more likely.  
“Yes. I should have. Angel was like a child, we taught her everything again and I thought that again I would atone. Until she vanished about a year ago. The staff thought she’d wandered off during a thunderstorm and we all waited for a body to appear given that she still seemed to have the mental capacity of no more than a five year old. I never expected this.”  
“And the leads ?”  
Ray reached into a drawer and pulled out a file. There were pictures and various notes on medical care. Frank felt his hands start to shake as he looked at the woman lying in the bed and then at various shots from consecutive years. Another head shot he didn’t recognise.  
“That’s Matt Sanders. He was the doctor in charge of her case and quit three weeks after she went missing. Returned to Cali to practise medicine but there was something about him I didn’t trust and we did some digging. Major links to gangland crime in that area, she may well have headed there but I had no time to look.”  
“Another link to Cali ?”  
Frank was able to feel some relief that he now at least had something to focus on but the thought that Claire was in the hands of Angel Deforio with a serious fucking grudge was worse than any copycat. He had worked with some of the best and none better than Mikey but he had learned at her feet and passed it all to James. There were some who were close but a battle between the two would be messy and there would be fallout. Again he wondered why no-one had contacted him for a ransom.  
“We need to go hunting for him and whoever he’s linked to. Angel wants something from me that’s more than revenge or she would have killed Claire too.”  
“She wants us to know it’s her. The messages are seeking acknowledgement.”  
Frank felt a smile lift his face. This would need to be explained carefully to Mikey and Gerard so as not to cause an eruption but love for his friend, his loyal friend, overrode the initial anger. There would be time to discuss the why’s after but at least he now had something to go on.  
“Then we need to give it to her. Any thoughts on how ?”  
“You have Gerard working the press. Leak a name maybe, something that she will pick up on. At least something to draw her out.”  
Ray poured another drink and watched as Frank retrieved his phone from a pocket and checked the messages before calling up the encrypted line that led to Gerard. He could think of nothing but the war to come and the fact that he could do nothing much to help, this was so far from him now and Ray felt he had become cut off from the people that mattered most.  
“Gee ?”  
“Hey Frankie. It’s chaos here and Mikey is gonna come around soon.”  
Frank nodded and checked his watch.  
“I have a couple of leads and I’ll explain when I get back. Set up a press conference for ten am tomorrow with all the press you can find. I’m gonna draw the bitch out. She wants to play with us and now it’s game on.”


	12. Chapter 12

New Jersey 2001

Frank bit back a moan and could feel his own pulse start to quicken as his back unconsciously arched and the ache bit into his shoulders. They were pulled back and up sharply, the metal digging into his wrists as the handcuffs pulled taught. He couldn’t see, thick black material covered his eyes and made every brush against his bare skin feel magnified and expanded. He was breathing a little harder than he would like but it felt somehow good to have no control, to be helpless.  
The streak of cold seemed to rest against his nipple for an eternity before it was replaced with something warmer but still wet. He moaned louder at lips gently sucking on him, a tongue gliding over to replace the icy feeling with more heat and the sharp nip of teeth that added pain into the mix. He flexed against the cuffs and fought back the urge to move more, he knew his ankles were pinned too. The sensation moved across his chest and a warm hand glided down his ribs. There was no other body contact, there had been no need and Frank knew he was hard, painfully so and yet still that hand drifted no lower.  
“Jesus…”  
There was a brief giggle in his ear as the pleasure of warmth against his nipples was once again replaced with ice. It was an electric shock, his blindness causing the sensation to peak and trough as kisses against the pulse point in his neck fought with the chill. There was no fighting the demands of his body, he arched up in an effort to press against the warm body above his and was rewarded with another nip, this time against the tender flesh of his ear.  
“Relax, always in such a hurry baby.”  
“I can’t fucking relax!”  
He knew the frustrated whine in his voice would amuse the person currently enticing the heat in his belly to grow by the second and it irritated and fevered his brain enough to tug harder on the cuffs. There would be marks left, reddened skin that might bruise but he wanted to be free of the restraints, to reach up and rip the blindfold free and retake the control that was his by right of both masculinity and his own dominant streak. That was currently about as likely as it was ridiculous. The sensation was just too good.  
The fingers ceased and he felt fresh air as the bed lifted a little. He swung his head in a vain effort to gauge where his lover had gone before allowing himself a moment to breathe and readjust. Frank was no innocent, both men and women were numbered amongst his conquests and he considered himself a good lover but these new games had him flustered and he fucking hated it.  
“Angel ? You better not fucking leave me like this!”  
The bed shifted again and her body pressed itself against his side, a slow smile creeping over his face as lips again fluttered over his chest. This time she did touch him, her fingers wrapping around his shaft and gently manipulating him until he was moaning again and the metal around his wrists pulled tight on the wooden headboard. It was good, too damn fucking good and he tried not to let the mental pictures in his head of her lithe body push him over the edge.  
“FUCKING BITCH!”  
The flick of the lighter had barely registered but Frank knew what a naked flame against flesh felt like and the fact that it appeared to be his chest that was now burning made the pleasure in his groin fade into the background. For a moment the heat grew as he bucked before being replaced by soothing cold and the return of the ice and the warm hand still working him. Frank’s breath was ragged, the pain blending with the return of the glow.  
“Pleasure and pain, its all one big mix Frankie. Don’t you think ?”  
There was a mocking tone in her voice that caused him to growl and Angel delighted in the pout that played across his features. She liked fucking him, he was strong and energetic with plenty of skill for a young man. The other one had more of a brutal streak and it had been a dare from Mikey that had set this up. He had said that Frank would never let her tie him down and she had disagreed. Ten bucks would be coming her way with the photographic proof she had already extracted from the situation.  
“I…..shit, I don’t care right now.”  
He smiled, able to acknowledge that the pain had excited him more than he expected. She kissed the raw mark on his chest before igniting the flame again. This time he was ready for it, bracing himself at the sound and allowing only a small hiss of pain to escape his lips. Angel allowed the flame a few seconds more before soothing it with the ice cube that was fast melting in her hands. His pain was making her damp and seeing any sign of vulnerability was more than she needed to get a kick from his utter helplessness.  
“Please…”  
The plea, his surrender, was exquisite. It was more than enough to make the lighter be discarded and the remains of the ice pressed against his lips. She allowed him to suck the water hungrily from her fingertips, moving across his body lightly so that she straddled him. Her warmth rested against his balls, enough to tease him further without finally giving in to the lust that was now raging through them both. Angel leant down to kiss his lips, the pressure gentle at first but growing harder as he bucked against her. There was no chance that she would give control to him now but it was still fun to tease, to allow him only partial entry before rising away from him again.  
Now he did growl and one wrist started to bleed from his repeated efforts to break free and take what he wanted, the tension now at near painful proportions. She gave in, the crimson drip running down the inked flesh was too much and Angel wanted him, needed that heat and feeling of complete fullness that only his body could provide.  
Both sighed, despite the artificial restraints there was no urgency at first, bodies locked together in a gentle rhythm that still allowed her to touch and caress his ribs and the strong muscles in his arms. He thrust up at her, his eyes tightly closed against the fabric while his mind imagined the swell of her breasts, the arch of her neck that he knew was just above him but that he couldn’t reach. It was torture, it was amazing and for a second he almost loved her before fighting the growing urge to come and come hard.  
She knew he was close, the grunt caught in his throat as she eased back a little. Control was still there and she wasn’t going to let him release until she had milked everything she needed from his body. Her hips were tightly locked, the merest movement causing the tips of her fingers to buzz and she twisted a nipple with a grin just to hear him yelp. Angel knew that he would seek to turn the tables on her, he was far too ruthless not to know that this game went beyond sex and that an element of competition had started to come between them. Mikey was different, as long as there was violence, he seemed happy to enjoy the sex for what it was.  
The air in the room was hot and mixed in scents of blood and sex made it harder and harder to draw fresh air as their movements got faster and harder until her head tipped back and Frank felt her grip him tighter in the fiercest of orgasms. His fists clenched, letting her ride it out before releasing inside her with one last hard thrust of his hips. Her weight dropped against him and the feeling of her hot face pressed into his neck brought a smile to his lips.  
“Ok, so that was worth the ten bucks to Mikey.”  
“You knew ?”  
Angel grinned as he laughed, should have known they would have discussed the deal. Nothing ever went down that the pair of them were not involved in together. Her father had noticed, better jobs going their way as their star started to rise. Poor Ray did the donkey work, still proving his use to the old man and still afraid to ask her out let alone share her bed. She was determined to test that one out too before she decided whether any of them were long term.  
“Mikes is too cocky not to share. You gonna let me out now ?”  
“Do you trust me Frankie ?”  
There was a pause. He could feel sweat soaking into blindfold and it made his eyes sting. He winced as she slid away from him, the almost painful orgasm had left him tender in more areas than he cared to think about. This was not exactly the moment to tell the woman you were fucking that trust was never going to be on the agenda.  
“Should I ?”  
The light flooded his eyes and made him blink as she pulled the material from his face with a smile. He was little more than a boy but a smart boy. A useful boy. Frank blinked harder and focused on her face, the flush in her cheeks and on the delicate skin across her chest was testament to her enjoyment of their love making, the knife in her hand was a little more worrying. He met her eyes.  
“On that evidence, no. Is this how I’m going to die ?”  
“It’s how some of them die. A man who thinks only with his dick is an easy target.”  
Angel twirled the blade in her fingers before winging the blade across the room with a flick of the wrist. It lodged neatly in the doorframe of his apartment and he started to laugh. There was truth in that and he wasn’t arrogant enough to not know that she was talking about him.  
“Trust no one huh ?”  
“Absofuckinglutely.”  
He jangled the cuffs, wincing as she released his wrists and laid back on the bed beside him. Both were red raw ad his arms and shoulders ached but he felt alive and exhilarated. He could now see the burn marks on his own chest and wondered how to pay back the marks on her pale skin before there was a knock on his door. Mikey’s bored voice echoed through the wood causing them both to pull the covers up and try not to laugh.  
“Who do I owe twenty bucks to ?”


	13. Chapter 13

Angel leant back in the chair and watched amused as Frank entered the room and calmly took a seat in front of a mass of photographers and pressmen. There was no sign of Mikey but she knew he was somewhere close, she could feel the rage that seemed to heat the room from within. The brother was recognisable and very pretty, she had never met him back in the day but had soon figured the connection once he had started to appear in public with Frank and she made note to try to meet him before this was over.  
Frank hadn’t changed, the decade had barely seemed to touch his features although he carried himself with even more arrogance and self assurance than before. He still looked good and it annoyed her much more than she had thought it would. He had done well, far better than she would have ever given him credit for and it burned that for a second time she had underestimated him. Angel knew now that she held a card over him that gave her an edge but was under no illusion that he would kill her properly if this all went wrong.  
For now though, it was more than going right. News of the press conference had been relayed by the mole with plenty of time for them to be ready and she had been unable to resist the urge to attend despite the obvious risks. Matt and Johnny had been completely against it and at least one of them was lurking nearby but Angel had no fear of being recognised. This was a test to see if they remembered, if the messages were getting through.  
There was a hush falling as the police and FBI settled in too before a press officer carefully approached the mike at the centre of the stage. All the men looked uncomfortable, this case was so high profile and none of them wanted to make a mistake. A close friend of the President could easily end a career on a whim and now that his wife was missing and assumed kidnapped by the same person that had killed so many people, it was not something any of them wanted to think about.  
“Mr Iero will make a short statement and then answer some questions. Please leave any questions until the end. Thank you.”  
The man nodded to Frank who briefly glanced at Gerard before standing up. He scanned the room and thought of all the times he had made speeches and rallied a room for men to his side to fight and die for him. Nothing had been more important than this and yet he felt no fear over it. His Claire was strong, she would find a way to hold out until he reached her and then all the rules would mean nothing. He would slaughter all of those responsible and leave Angel till last. This time he would have the pleasure of killing her slowly and with his own bare hands.  
“I’d like to thank you all for coming today. I’m sure you can understand this is a very difficult time for me, I lost someone I and my family considered a brother and some very dedicated and much loved staff. I again extend my condolences to their families and would like to ask that if anyone has any information on who might be responsible to contact the FBI as soon as possible.”  
Frank took a breath and straightened his tie before continuing.  
“I have enemies. As a man in my line of work and close to the government it’s to be expected and I have lost people before but this has gone beyond what I have experienced before. My wife is innocent, she had nothing to do with my business or my past. Claire is the best woman I have ever or will ever know and I will do anything to get her home in one piece. There are many things I have left buried that now seem to have come back to haunt me and this may be one of them.”  
Angel smiled, the shadow that had passed over his face at that moment told her all she needed to know. He hadn’t forgotten then, the message and finding the boy’s body had been enough to remind him of his sins and the retribution he had called down on his own head. The sense of satisfaction was bordering on sexual.  
“I am now speaking to whoever it is that is holding my wife. The bible says an eye for an eye but I don’t work that way. Contact me or the FBI and we can negotiate. If you want money or a meeting with me I will listen.”  
There was a gasp behind him and Frank was well aware that he was deviating from the agreed arrangement with the feds but he had not come this far to play games. This was out of their league, Angel would see police involvement from a mile away and never come close. The only way to deal with this was head on and on his own. Gerard smiled quietly and hoped that his brother was taking this as calmly as he had everything else since the sedation wore off. It bothered him and Mikey was prone to violent explosions at all the worst times.  
“All I want is Claire returned to me unharmed. We can discuss terms and details when you call.”  
Angel tapped the phone in her pocket and considered options. She had his number and Gerard’s, Mikey’s could be obtained. It would be fun to taunt them but she didn’t want to give away the fact that she had been here or that she had a plant in the heart of his organisation. It would be more sensible to wait, to let him stew a little longer. Maybe even give the woman to the boys to play with and then send him some pictures.  
Frank sat down again as the camera flashes continued to go off. He hoped that the message would get through and that the clues had been obvious enough. The details of the writings at all the murders had been withheld from the press, it had been hinted that there was a connection but even the feds didn’t want all the details getting out. They were under increasing pressure for not having a single arrest in the case and a kidnapping was just adding to the pressure.  
“Mr Iero will take questions now. Yes ?”  
Angel kept her head down a little more as the press officer picked journalists from the crowd to ask more and more questions of Frank. She found being in his company was more difficult than expected and it bothered her more as the minutes ticked by. It had been the thought of his destruction that had pushed her to recover, to plan and execute the escape both from the hospital and her own crippled body. That man had taken everything from her and a sick rage made her even more determined that his precious wife would be delivered back to him in pieces.  
“I have some idea who it might be yes.”  
The reporter looked expectantly at Frank to elaborate and was greeted with a wry smile. None of them had expected him to even show his face. Iero did his deals and took out his enemies in private, the man was smart that way and still a murderer no matter what veneer of respectability he put on it. The last time his wife had been taken from him the whole city had burned for two weeks and they were all holding their breath.  
“We cannot comment at this time.”  
The FBI press officer was pissed at the charade of a press conference and of having to deal with the suited prick beside him and all his crooked friends. Three of his men were nursing broken bones after the younger Way brother had gone psycho when refused access to his lovers body. The director wouldn’t allow any of them to be touched and the fact that the President was in the pocket of this bastard was unacceptable. Quite frankly he didn’t care if whoever was going after Frank Iero managed to get to him.  
“Are there likely to be more murders ?”  
“Again, no comment.”  
There were more hands raised as Frank rubbed the bridge of his nose and tried to ignore the glare of the man beside him. Dealing with the feds was always such a pain in the ass, they hated him as much as he hated them and he was as well aware as Gerard that Mikey was a powderkeg just waiting to go off in someone’s face. It was down to Frank to aim that in the direction of whoever had helped Angel pull this off.  
“No more questions now. Thank you for your time.”  
There was a grumbling as Frank and Gerard stood up, shaking hands with the press officer and the FBI man. The journo’s started to move too, a chatter breaking out as they all began calling editors and the news cameras reverted back to their various studio commentators. Gerard rubbed a finger down the back of Frank’s neck and leant close to his ear.  
“Think we did enough ?”  
“Yeah, she will get it. Not sure if she will call but there will be something now we’ve put it out there. Call Ray and I’ll go check on Mikes.”  
Frank scanned the crowd again and hoped to god that he had indeed done enough to make the bitch break cover. There was nothing he could do in Cali until his sources had done their digging on the whereabouts of the doctor who had helped Angel and it would take time. He was about to turn away when something caught his eye at the back of the room. A woman near the door was looking at him and before he could register it she slipped out and into the corridor.  
He froze and stared before a growl of pure rage broke from his lips and the newsmen shrieked and dived for cover as he launched himself into the crowd and toward the door. Gerard was close behind, not knowing what the hell just happened but recognising that Frank had just completely lost it. A single word roared from his lips.  
“ANGEL !”


	14. Chapter 14

Frank scrambled out into the packed corridor, people jostled and stared at the wild eyed man who was intent on getting past them. He knew her, despite the different hair, the few extra lines. It had been Angel and he wanted to wring the bitch’s neck. Already he had lost sight of her but the corridor didn’t branch off until near the front door, she had to be there.  
“Angel !!”  
More and more people were looking at him, the crowd almost parting as if sensing his anger and increasing desperation. Frank could hear the footsteps behind him and knew it would be agents and at least some of his men following him, both to help and see if he had finally lost his fucking mind. For a moment he thought he had lost her until he caught sight of the auburn hair and the black jacket. He ploughed on, a woman screaming as she was shoved face first into the door. Angel turned at the sound and for a moment they locked eyes.  
The time melted away. He saw the bitterness and rage in her eyes but was reminded of her smile, her laugh and the touch of fingers against skin. There had never been love between them but there had been mutual respect and more than a little admiration. She saw his anger, the powerful man that had grown from the boy but was also reminded of lazy afternoons in his arms and a time when they had been allies against the world.  
It was all past.  
The betrayal had destroyed everything of that world which had been hers to control and her reappearance had destroyed his peace. This was now a fight to the death and they both knew it. The distance between them was no more than fifty feet but it was thronged with people and a rippling sense of confusion. The seconds stretched before she flashed him a cheeky smile and the moment was broken. He saw the gun in her hand, his reactions slowed a little by his surprise and hers by the realization that she could end it so quickly. The weapon was aimed at his head and the trigger pulled before the eye contact broke.  
Frank felt a hand grab his collar and swing him to the left, his vision temporarily clouded by the explosion of blood and brain caused by the bullet hitting the person Mikey had unceremoniously thrown in front of him. Time sped up as the tight space exploded in screams. Mikey was fixed on only one thing and for the first time Angel realised that she was now in more than a little trouble. She fired again, causing the crowd of people to surge back toward the two men that were trying to get to her and then made it to the door and the street.  
Mikey stepped over the fallen body, a glance over his shoulder enough to see that Frank was unharmed and already had a gun in his hand. There were feds closing in fast and he wanted Angel before those fucker got in the way. Frank nodded and watched as Mikey used his height and strength to elbow his way into the crowd. Gerard was nowhere in sight, he guessed he must have headed straight for his brother and Frank was grateful. He didn’t like seeing Gerard and guns in the same space.  
Frank split off, the building had two revolving doors that lead to the street which were now jammed with people trying to get out and security guards trying to get in. He pocketed the gun, aware that he was likely to be stopped and started to calm his mind and formulate a plan.  
“Shaw, Casey, Martinez, outside and find that woman.”  
Immediately the feds started to crowd him, the distraction allowing Mikey and his boys to slip outside and into the street. He trusted Mikey to bring the bitch to him alive and unharmed if he could and that would mean coming in between the target and the police and agents that were just as eager to shut this case down and put obstacles in his way. Claire’s wellbeing depended on Mikey managing it first.  
Mikey himself was focused. It had all become unreal since the phonecall to say his James was gone. He had walked, talked, eaten and slept but it had been completely disassociated with his reality. There was nothing left in him, everything was burned away and he was hollow, the empty shell filled with nothing but a desire to torture and kill the person responsible. The fact that he needed the torture part to get Claire back was just a coincidence. He didn’t care what it took him, he was going to get to Angel.  
Outside there was more confusion, the populace still cowering and unsure after the gunshots within, Angel was already halfway into the crowd again and quickly searching for the van that had been left nearby with more of Matt’s boys and probably the man himself. All of them would be pissed at her, it had gone just as badly as they had all predicted but she had seen the rage and known that she had got to him. For Angel, that was a victory and all according to plan.  
“What the fuck ?”  
“Move, fucking move or we’re going to die.”  
Matt ducked as her words were punctuated by the sounds of gunfire. Mikey and three of his men had spotted them, causing Johnny to give the nod to their own guys. The entire plaza erupted, civilians and police officers alike caught by surprise as a full scale gun ware broke out. Frank never went anywhere without a contingent of his men and Matt hadn’t been as blasé as Angel about the possible outcome. People started to fall, crossfire of bullets and flying metal from cars was lethal and no judge of loyalty or innocence.  
“Mikey, fucking alive !”  
Frank ducked down, still trying to pick her out from the crowd as he counted the police and feds up against his own men. This could go badly for him and for her, Angel in police hands was no good to him. He waved his men forward and then pulled one of his bodyguards down to his level.  
“Buy your boss some time. Take some boys to the side and keep the feds occupied.”  
The man nodded and peeled away, Frank risking a peek over the car bonnet that he was taking cover behind. Mikey was a good way ahead and making progress towards where he could see a tall, heavy set man and three others returning fire from over a van hood. Angel was nowhere in sight now and Frank growled in frustration.  
There was a loud explosion as a police car went up, several people caught up in the flames and general chaos. More and more gunfire filled the air, it was getting impossible to see from the smoke and chaos, time slowly ticking out toward the inevitable flight of one or other of the parties. Angel kickstarted the van from below the drivers seat, and banged on the screen, Matt and his boys getting in. Johnny was pinned on the other side and waved at them to go before firing another volley over Mikey’s head to keep him pinned down. Angel floored it, taking out one of the other cop cars and barrelling into three more parked cars before hitting the street.  
Mikey realised what was happening and threw one of his own guys into the path of the stream of bullets, four of them hitting the man who grunted in surprise before expiring in a mist of blood and bone. Mikey didn’t pause, managing to duck another burst and reach Johnny as he tried to reload. There was a frantic struggle between the two men before the taller man managed to obtain the advantage and savagely slammed Johnny’s head into the roof of the car. He went down and Mikey simply picked him up and threw him at two of his remaining men.  
“Get this back to the compound. Quietly and for fuck’s sake, alive. We’re gonna use this little shit to find out where the boss’s wife is and where that fucking bitch is hiding.”  
The men nodded and disappeared into the smoke as Mikey silently made his way back to where Frank was already walking towards their car with Gerard. They would leave now while the feds were still counting bodies and the police were busy with civilians. It was time to disappear and go into lockdown. The legitimate law had had the chance to deal with it and failed. Now Frank would do things his way.  
“Talk to me Mikes.”  
“She got away but we got one of her boys. Not one of the street shits either. Kind of firepower he was packing says he’s gonna lead us straight to her.”  
Frank’s expression was grim, there was nothing to stop him using every talent he had learned from Angel to lead him to her and this was the chance he had been waiting for.  
“Is he alive ?”  
There was no shift in the poker face until a beautiful smile broke across his features. Even Gerard stepped away a little in recognition of the sheer and complete madness that lurked within.  
“Until we decide otherwise or I have Angel’s head.”


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW - Rape scene....gets nasty

Claire paced the basement in an attempt to shift the cramp in her knees and the increasing claustrophobia that had been drawing in. It had become impossible to discern one day from another, only turning the light down when exhaustion crept in had signalled that it was potentially night outside. She still hated that there was no natural light, the curtained off area that served as a makeshift bathroom was the only privacy and that was literally a bucket.  
Not that she had been physically harmed, Zacky was the one that usually brought down meals and checked up on her. He was pleasant enough although she noticed that he liked to corner her, the rough kiss of the first day hadn’t been repeated but the groping had. A subtle reminder of just who had the power here that Claire knew she could use to her advantage. She had never been one to just sit back and accept her fate and wasn’t about to start now.  
Angel had not been down to see her again and although she had heard Matt and Johnny mentioned they hadn’t been seen. The only other person to bring her food the odd time was Brian and she was far more wary of him than Zacky. He was usually in a dark suit and any other time she would have admired the physical beauty of the man if not the arrogant expression. He too seemed intent on cornering her and making Claire feel as uncomfortable as possible. She hadn’t given either of them the satisfaction of making it easy on them and they had been seemingly careful about not marking her skin.  
This would be her third escape attempt. the first had taken them by surprise almost, realising that she was not just a normal trophy wife but Claire had not counted on them all being in the middle of a meeting. Walking right past the door had given them all a little amusement.   
The second time all was quiet and as the grunt sent in Zacky’s place had unlocked the door to bring her some dinner she punched him in the face and pushed him to the side taking off at a run towards the front door but it was locked and an amused Zack escorted her back. He had clearly been unsurprised that time, the unfortunate prick with the broken nose had been less amused and the door had since been triple locked.  
This was her time, third time lucky right, but as she cautiously made her way towards the door she found it blocked by a tall dark shadow. How long he had been there she had no idea and for a moment she was unsure of which of her captors it might be, there was something obscuring his features. For a moment she could do nothing but stare and tried to decide whether to try and talk her way out of the situation.  
He shook off his hood and stood smirking at her.  
“Well now…..”  
She began to back up as Zack advanced on her.  
Claire was about to turn and make a run for it when she pivoted wrong and her ankle twisted in pain. With a yell she toppled to the side, frantically trying to grab for a handhold on the rough concrete wall.  
The man lunged for her and got a hold of her top. The buttons popped as it tore off of her.  
Claire landed on her knees with the first sound out of her mouth. She attempted to crawl away, but Zack grabbed for her again and brought her down onto her stomach in the filth of the floor.  
”Now, Pretty, where do you think you are going?”  
“Fuck you asshole !”  
Claire scrambled up and made it to the wall on the other side of the room, shaking but still trying to get an angle on the door that lead up to the cellar stairs. She turned around to see her attacker, but only the glint of silver from his snakebites were visible in the dim light. The hint of threat that had there since the night they picked her up was now a screaming alarm bell and for an insane moment she hoped Angel might show and call him off.  
Zack leered at Claire and slammed both his hands on either side of her head. Claire winced at the sound of the leather scrapping on the wall near her ear.  
Zack leaned into her ear and whispered with a sinister voice.  
”Mmmm, Pretty, we are going to have a shiny time you and I.”  
He licked up the side of Claire’s neck and she cried out. Quickly one hand was around her throat, pinning her to the wall, while the other was loosening his tie.  
She felt the noose drag over her head, down and over her mouth. Zack hummed while he rolled the tie up and held it in front of Claire's mouth.  
”Open for me, Pretty.”  
Claire shook her head and clamped her mouth tight. Zack chuckled and placed his mouth back near Claire’s ear. He bit down on her earlobe and when Claire cried out he shoved the rolled cloth into her mouth and tightened the noose so that it was trapped there.  
He then produced a rope and although Claire tried to struggle he managed to get her hands bound behind her back. Zack ripped open Claire’s shirt causing buttons to fly everywhere. One of them rolled to a stop a good distance from them and Claire concentrated her focus there instead of on the man who was clearly about to hurt her.  
She felt her face grabbed by one of the fingerless gloves and pushed back to face her attacker.  
Zack pulled the tie down and smashed his mouth against Claire’s. He sucked and bit on her bottom lip until Claire parted hers and he invaded it with his tongue.  
Claire scrambled for ground with her heels, but she was still pinned by the man’s other gloved hand.  
”Now now, Doll, it’s not wise to try and get away from me. I would hate to waste a Pretty like you, besides we have not even begun to play.”  
”P-P-P-Play?”  
”Oh, yes, Pretty, and as long as you listen to me, everything will be candy floss. But if you disobey me and make any noises, well, you will be in a world of hurt. Do you understand me?”  
Claire nodded, but tears were streaming down her face.  
Zack started to undo Claire’s belt and zipper. She continued to whimper quietly as her trousers were pulled down along with her panties.  
She was now left exposed sitting on the dirty ground of the cellar as Zack appraised her visually and verbally.  
”So beautiful, just like I knew you would be. I have been waiting to get my hands on you for a while now, Pretty."  
For the first time since she was bought here Claire was scared, but tried not to show it.  
"You won’t lay a finger on me again if you know what’s good for you!"  
Claire could say nothing else as the palm of the leather glove connected with her cheek. Just as quickly the other back of the hand came and hit her other cheek.  
Claire was forced to the ground with a yelp and her face pushed into the concrete. She groaned in pain, but it did not stop her from hearing the telltale sound of the metal teeth of the zipper on Zack’s jeans as they parted sides.  
”*tsk tsk* Oh, Pretty, I am afraid that this will not be candy floss for you after all.”  
Zack shoved the tie back into Claire’s mouth and pulled her onto her knees. He gripped a fist full of her hair as he lined himself up with Claire’s pussy.  
With no warning Zack pushed himself into Claire eliciting a cry that vibrated through her whole body.  
Claire cried out through the saliva soaked cloth as Zack rammed into her with no regard. She could feel the wetness trickling out her and dripping down her inner thighs.  
She listened to Zack grunt and moan as he continued to spill filth from his lips.  
"Fuck yeah, Doll, so good, so tight like I knew you would be.”  
Claire continued to cry as she was violated. At one point Zack pulled out and turned her over on her side. He yanked Claire’s leg up over his shoulder and pushed back in. He gripped her thigh and used it as a lever to pull Claire’s body towards him.  
Claire could feel him going in deeper than before and that made it even more painful. With his thumb he started to rub hard at her spot, which made her scream.  
Zacky smirked and did it again.  
Claire started to buck against him and although she was trying her best not to, she could feel herself getting wetter.   
”That’s it, Pretty, knew you would come around. Come on, that’s it, you gonna cum for me?”  
Claire shook her head, but she knew that her body was going to betray her as the warmth entered her stomach. Zack continued to rub almost mercilessly and Claire let out fresh tears as she arched her back and came.  
The constricting of her body sent Zack over the edge and he threw his own head back and came deep inside her. He rode out his orgasm shuddering and gripping Claire’s thigh digging his nails into the soft flesh. When he was spent he pulled out and stood up.  
Zack looked at his gloved hand covered in Claire's cum. He licked it like a cat licking cream. He smiled down at the disheveled figure on the ground.  
"Mmm, Doll, tastes just like you, sweet with a bitter bite to it."  
He chuckled at his own comment as he tucked himself back in to his jeans and zipped them up. He walked around to the front of Claire and squatted down in front of her. He grabbed a fist full of her hair and, removing the tie, pulled her into another kiss.  
Claire gave no resistance this time. Zack pulled back from her and smiled. He dropped her head back down and reached around and untied her hands.  
Claire pulled her hands to the front of her chest and rubbed where the rope had bit into her wrists. Zack stood back up and began walking away. Claire pushed herself onto her knees and looked up at the man leaving, making a note in her mind that he was going to pay for this and that she would ask Frank to let her kill him herself. Zack turned around and looked at Claire.  
”Well, Doll it was fun, but I have to go. Remember you can keep trying running Pretty, but I will always catch you. Till next time, bye Claire.”  
Zack wiggled his fingers at her and then turned and sauntered out of the cellar, his heavy boots echoing as he left.


	16. Chapter 16

"So what the fuck do we do now ? I fucking told you, don’t go to the damn press conference.”  
“Will you quit panicking ? All it means is pulling the timescale forward a bit.”  
Matt slammed the van door and grabbed Angel by the sleeve as the few remaining men they had taken with them ambled back into the house. This had turned into one hell of a clusterfuck and he couldn’t understand why she was remaining so damn calm.  
“Frank knows, we lost all the element of surprise and now they have Johnny. He’s a tough kid but he’ll crack in the end.”  
Angel smiled slightly at the tight grip on her arm. Such passion in the man was rare, he was normally such a sweetheart but his friends meant a lot to him. That was somehow endearing but strange to her at the same time. It didn’t really complicate things in the grand scheme of what they had going on but it reminded her of the differences between them.  
“So we move Claire and get Gates to do his thing. Once Frank is on his knees getting Johnny back will be easy.”  
Matt shook his head at the calm blank stare, she had never opened up to him about what happened. He knew the physical injuries and still catalogued their effects but the mental picture was a lot harder. He knew what she had been before and wondered how much of that was still in place. Angel had pulled him in a direction that had never even occurred to him and now it was within reach he wondered if he wanted it at all.  
“It won’t be that easy.”  
“I want Frank destroyed, I want everything which is his to be ours. I did it for us baby…”  
Angel knew she’d won as the grip on her arm loosened and he pulled her into his arms. For such a smart and capable man he was fairly easy to manipulate. She had always known that Frank would figure it out and that her actions would send them all after her. If the others died in the crossfire it would be an inconvenience but nothing more.  
“Where’s short ass ?”  
Zacky counted the numbers coming back in and decided that the scratches Claire had left down his arms were the last of his problems. Matt looked pissed, Angel was clearly in one of her less sane moods and there was no sign of Johnny. The idea of going anywhere near where the target was going to be in full force had never been a good idea.  
“They got him. New plan and it means you and Claire take a little vacation while we drop the hammer and get Johnny.”  
“I’m on it. You springing the trap ?”  
Angel frowned, the dishevelled hair and untucked shirt were so unlike the normally fastidious Zack that she immediately wondered what the bitch had been up to. No matter, he could have his fun it that’s what he wanted. Angel had no intention of asking too many questions, a happy Zacky meant a happy Brian and that part was important.  
“Yes so we have to get this right.”  
Matt also stared at Zack, he had a good idea of what was going on there, Brian and his buddy had made no secret that they were going to have some fun with the captive before Angel decided to execute her and it was a shame to waste a fine piece of ass. If he hadn’t been enjoying Angel in his bed every night he might have been tempted.  
They locked down the house and went over the plan again and again before they were all happy that it was going to work. Gates had said nothing when contacted, merely confirmed that it could be done and that he was confident of making it out afterwards. That was all Angel wanted to hear, the man was as good as his reputation and had never let her down.  
“And if this goes wrong ?”  
Matt smiled at the irritation on her face as Angel glanced at Zack.  
“Scatter to the escape points and lie low. We don’t fuck up and it won’t go wrong.”  
“I’ll take Claire up to the gulch and wait for you. Just make sure to get Johnny. Those fucks may have killed him already but I ain’t leaving him there.”  
There was silence for a moment and they all considered the possibility of running smack bang into an all out war in the middle of the city. Chaos was a good hiding place but the feds and a fully armed Frank with his militia were what Angel wanted to avoid. The plan was to walk into the compound and take the whole thing without a fight.  
She left them still talking and wandered down to the basement, partly to check on the damage and partly to ensure that Claire had not managed to find another way out. She had a grudging admiration for the woman, there was something in that urge to escape that reminded Angel of her own fight against what Frank had done to her. In different times and under different circumstances they could have been friends.  
“He got a bit rough huh ?”  
Claire stared at the other woman with utter hatred, her face swollen and bruised as she huddled under the thin blanket on the bed. Angel was unmoved, although the thought of how Zacky would now handle this new assignment bothered her a little. Claire was still a bargaining peace and a failsafe in case things went bad.  
“Fuck off.”  
“Now, now….did Frank admit what him and his buddies did to me ?”  
Claire turned away, a small sick feeling directed towards her husband flickered in her stomach. Things were never so black and white as anyone wanted, what Frank had done was no different than what that fuck had done to her and yet she couldn’t bring herself to sympathise. James’ smile came into her mind and she glared back up at Angel.  
“Yes and I don’t care.”  
Angel laughed and pointed back up the stairs.  
“You and Zack are going on a little holiday while I bury your husband so I suggest you get used to the company. He’s a pussycat compared to Brian, don’t think you want to know what plan they have for you.”  
The other woman stayed silent and Angel left her to brood as her phone rang in her back pocket. The door was triple locked again and she noticed that Zacky was already getting things together. Angel didn’t bother to check the number, Brian had promised to ring back with a schedule and a confirmed drop point so that they could split up and head out.  
“Talk to me baby, we ready to do this.”  
“Yeah we’re going to do this all right. You fucked with the wrong guy Angel, you should have known better.”  
She froze and glanced around before answering.  
“Hello Frank.”  
There was a chuckle from the other end of the line and Angel cursed the man for everything he had done to her. That he had this number was not a good sign and she doubted that Johnny was still in shape enough to attempt a rescue.  
“Hi Angel, I really should have done a better job of killing you.”  
“You were never as good as you thought you were. My father was right about you, all piss but not so much brain.”  
Silence hung in the air over the miles between them. It was almost surreal to be talking again like the last ten years had never happened, like they were still occasional lovers and not the most bitter of enemies.  
“I want Claire back.”  
“I want you dead.”  
“You never were the most subtle of people baby. The police and feds are all over this, it could end with both of us dead or looking at some serious time. Cut your losses now, return my wife and walk away.”  
Angel snorted, not believing one word he said and recognising the tone in his voice. There was no way that either of them were going to come out of this unscathed and she realised that there was part of her that wanted to see him, to talk face to face. The really stupid part.  
“Is Johnny dead ?”  
“No, unlike James. I can’t control what Mikey does, you know he won’t let that rest.”  
“I couldn’t give a fuck what Mikey does, the boy didn’t beg for his life at least. He died like a man.”  
There was a growl of anger down the phone which caused her to smile.  
“You have a day. One day. I have more resource than you can muster and I know it won’t be long before Johnny tells me were you are. The number you now have is mine and you can call me back at any time. Give Claire back and live. Twenty four hours Angel.”  
The line went dead and Angel leant back against the wall. He would already be on his way of course and walking into the storm that was their past and future. Twenty four hours that would change everything.


	17. Chapter 17

Ray emptied another shot of whiskey into the glass and sat back to ponder his options.  
Frank was quietly keeping him informed of the latest in the war of attrition that seemed to have broken out among his former families and it added more stress to the daily work of running a super power. In fact running a superpower was a piece of piss compared to dealing with two extremely violent factions that seemed intent on tearing the country apart.  
People were whispering, his own people were worried that his ties to the murder of a senator and to the man at the centre of a massacre would harm his standing in congress, his political enemies were rubbing their hands and the international community was whispering about the anarchy seemingly about to break out in the good old US of A.  
Ray found he didn’t give a shit about any of it.  
“Tell me how this helps you.”  
Frank’s voice on the intercom was muted but Ray recognised the brutality that surfaced whenever his friend was about to go on the rampage. It was chilling.  
“I know Angel will at least think about doing a deal, all the time there is contact we can track the gps. Gerard has organised a squad to go shake down anyone Matt Sanders has been in contact with and Mikey is arming up with the latest from the new factory in China. I am going to bury the bitch.”  
“This is an all out war you’re talking about, the feds will come down on you rather than her since they don’t know she exists.”  
Ray swallowed the shot down as Frank explained that they had leaked considerable informations about Angel and her past to the appropriate authorities that would shed light on some very high profile unsolved murders. Once the press got wind that this woman was linked to the shoot out at the press conference it would be much harder for Angel to move around. There had been some quite clear footage.  
“When are you leaving the country Ray ?”  
“Monday, UN conference in Geneva so keep me informed via the hard line. Just….Frank, for gods sake be careful and try and keep the bodycount down.”  
A deadpan voice broke into the conversation and Ray had to smile. Mikey had clearly been drinking and was trying Frank’s patience.  
“I’m gonna break all records Rayray, gonna dance on the slut’s grave.”  
“Shut up Mikes.”  
“Fuck you Frank….actually yeah, let’s fuck and go find my brother.”  
“Jesus fucking Christ, I told you no and I meant it.”  
“You didn’t say no last night and neither did Gee…”  
Ray decided to break into the conversation before they entirely lost focus. His hands shook a little as he felt around the desk for the medication his doctor had prescribed for anxiety. It was becoming more and more difficult to keep things together with any degree of success.  
“FOCUS. Now, what do you do if the feds find her first ?”  
“They won’t. We are feeding them other information too.”  
Ray closed his eyes at the way Frank seemed intent on manipulating himself into a thirty year stretch and taking him down with him. He worked hard to keep the more enterprising of his agents well away from investigating the Iero family too closely.  
“Fine. I have to go. Just be careful.”  
“We will. Quit panicking Mr President.”  
The line went dead and Ray sat there for another half hour in the dark. It was late, well after most of his staff had gone to bed. His wife was upstairs, they had not been speaking for a while now and she had heard enough about the current situation to threaten to leave him yet again. For a moment Ray considered using the gun in the desk before realising there was a tap at the door.  
“Yes ?”  
The door opened and Ray took another sharp intake of breath at the visitor. The dark suit and slicked back hair were immaculate as usual although he knew the mind within was anything but. There was going to be no way out of this situation that would end well for him, Ray knew he was going to die sooner rather than later. Synyster Gates was literally the last person you wanted standing in as your Secret Service appointed bodyguard.  
“This is going to end up killing all of us.”  
“Just stick to the plan Ray, you know Angel will pull this off.”  
Ray rubbed his temples and looked again at the gun in the desk drawer. How had it come to this ? How had one simple bad decision as a young man caused him to betray everything he had worked to become ?  
“I never wanted this ! I didn’t save her life to have her kill Frank. I wanted her to have a second chance to live. Not this.”  
“You wanted her and you have her. She loves you.”  
Gates smiled at the lie and the man in front of him. Frank had chosen to place his trust in an able man who had let himself love the very wrong woman. He had fed Angel with all the details she needed to break into the compound, to take Frank’s wife and now he would provide the killing blow. He just didn’t know it yet.  
“The plan was to leave. To just take enough money from Frank to be retribution. I didn’t agree to kidnapping or murdering James. The kid was never involved in what happened.”  
“Collateral damage, Angel needs to get this out of her system Ray and then you can disappear.”  
"I should have never let her take it this far. Disappearing is about as likely as me coming out of this alive." Ray put his head in his hands and wondered if he could reach the gun before Gates had a chance to shoot him. It would mean the end of his presidency and probably drag Frank to jail with him but it was better than all of them dying because of Ray and his mistaken guilt.  
Gates checked the clock on the wall and calculated the appearance of the next security detail. He didn’t have long and it was important that there was enough time for him to be on his way before anyone realised what was about to happen. He circled around behind Ray, noting how the other man hastily removed his hand from the desk drawer.  
“It would be better for you if they died anyway. You know Frank won’t forgive this, what little he does know has probably buried you. If Mikey doesn’t get his hands on you first.”  
“They don’t know it all. They don’t even know half of it.”  
There was a dull bitterness in his tone that Ray knew was a lie. Frank never forgave and he never forgot. A lesson learned from Angel in fact, trust no one. He doubted that Frank would go so far as to kill him but there would be some form of retribution.  
“So stick to the plan and let her finish it. See out your term and we can all retire rich and happy.”  
“I don’t want them to die.”  
Gates was in his blind spot, dark leather gloves on his hands as he drew the silenced pistol from the inner pocket of his jacket. It was Frank’s, taken when they had taken Claire and now it would be used to bury it’s former owner.  
“Do you want to die ?”  
“I should die, I should have left this all buried in that forest.”  
“For what it’s worth, she’s sorry.”  
Ray smiled, the relief at what was going to happen surprised him as much as his lack of surprise at this turn on events. Clarity had come just a little too late.  
“If you’re going to do it, just get on with it.”  
Gates smiled slightly, adjusting the angle before a simple squeeze of the trigger sent blood and brain flying across the room away from him. There was a thud as Ray hit the table, still twitching in the throes of a violent death that he believed he deserved. Gates didn’t particularly care one way or another, all that was important was that the angle of the bullet would indicate suicide and that the only prints on the gun would be Ray’s.  
The laptop he left open despite the greyish mess leaking across the keyboard. It contained enough evidence to link Frank and Ray to several embezzlements, the murder of the senator and an amusing incident involving a sheep which was his own attempt at humour. While the feds were puzzling it out they would go after Frank in force and either kill him or remove him as a threat. Angel and her boys would simply walk in and fill in the gap.  
The weapon had made little noise, the next patrol would be by in fifteen minutes. Gates straightened his tie and placed the gun in Ray’s right hand before calmly leaving the office and heading out toward the exit. It was simple, clean and quick. Just the way he wanted it and he would be out of the city before anyone thought to look for him. The fact that the President had personally hired someone that didn’t exist would fool them all.  
The slowly cooling body would be found of course, the panic among government sending ripples out into the world before rigor mortis had set in. The press wouldn’t hear of it first, nor the chiefs of staff, nor even his own wife. There was an act of contrition that had been set up when Ray knew that his death was inevitable. A final act of a man who had tried to live life to a code of honour while working among thieves.  
Frank would know and understand it all.


	18. Chapter 18

New Jersey 2002

Don Luca Deforio stared at the two young men in front of him and shook his head with something that approached a smile. He had run his family for twenty years and seen young hot heads come and go but these two were different, entertaining. He reached a hand up to his shoulder to stroke the fingers that rested there.  
“My Angela tells me we made quite a profit on this job thanks to you.”  
Angel winked at Frank who didn’t dare return the gesture. Mikey was his usual stone faced self, the blood that had so recently stained his face and clothes. They had cleaned up quickly and both were conscious that they were still wet behind the ears in more ways than one. This job had the potential to make them or break them.  
“We had to make sure the information was right Boss. Turns out Mr Murphy was making a killing skimming from us. Hope you don’t mind us using our initiative.”  
Now Frank did risk the charming smile and was rewarded with a nod. Angel had a way of dealing with the old man that had combined with Ray’s talents to push them above men superior in both rank and experience. This had combined with more than a little luck but both men had used their respective talents of remove a tiresome problem and bring the profit home.  
“You’re a good man Frankie, you and Michael will go far if you keep listening and learning. Take ten percent and go enjoy yourselves.”  
“Thank you sir.”  
Mikey nodded, he never wanted to give too much away and didn’t intend to stay tied down to the family for any great length of time. He had watched how much Angel was making as a free lance operative, albeit with ties that bound her to do her father’s bidding. While Frank may have wanted to make a name for himself, Mikey wanted the money.  
Angel kissed her father’s cheek and left his side as the old man settled into conversation with his consigliore. There was much to discuss, a war was brewing between the families that ran the crime network around the state. Deforio did not want war but knew that many among his family did, his own daughter among them.  
“Angela, visit your mother. You haven’t been home in a month.”  
Angel dropped her lip in the perfect picture of contrition. Her goddamn mother was a nosy bitch, the typical mafia wife who wanted her daughter to marry well and start springing out grand kids. Both of which were Angel’s idea of hell. She was more intent on talking Frank and Mikes into a threesome before finally seducing Ray.  
“Of course Papa….right after I get back from that small matter across town.”  
“The captains can do that.”  
Angel felt the irritation rise and fought to keep it from her voice, she knew Frank would be cataloguing any and all information that he could use to his advantage. So would the other men in the room. They all knew that the Don had no male child and should anything happen to him there would be a struggle for power that she had no intention of losing.  
“Ground work is all done. Won’t take long.”  
The Don waved a hand, dismissive but unable to deny her as Ray stepped up to show him the latest profit spread in the fledgling legitimate business he was setting up. Ray was as brilliant as Frank in some sectors, able to see a future that would mix crime with profit until it became impossible to tell them apart. A new path to a future that interested the head of the family to some peoples annoyance and another potential wedge in stability.  
“Ray, take my daughter out like you promised. Too much work is not so good.”  
The younger man blushed as Frank buried his laughter in Mikey’s shoulder. They had been regaling their friend with explicit stories about the woman he was so obviously in love with just to see the expression on his face. It was charming but Frank knew his friend was heading for a fall, no matter how much she toyed with him Angel was never going to feel the same.  
The woman herself merely smiled and blew Ray a kiss.  
“Sure, you can take me to Uncle Marty’s for pasta, none of that cheap stuff.”  
“Your uncle can’t cook for shit.”  
There followed a conversation in passionate Italian that Frank gave up trying to follow after less than two minutes before Angel gave her father a triumphant smile and made a quick exit. Mikey was quick to follow, he wanted in on the job that Angel was planning and she had half promised him that he could tag along during a passionate encounter over the old man’s desk.  
“Fucking hell, that man would love to marry me off.”  
“What a waste.”  
Angel glared at Frank and pushed past the numerous men that were in and out of the house before they reached the large garden outside. He passed her a cigarette and raised an eyebrow at the expression on her face. Mikey stood behind slightly, watching to see exactly who was around.  
“What’s got you so pissed off ?”  
Angel quickly lit the smoke and also looked around before staring back at Frank.  
“He’s on borrowed time, if my father doesn’t listen to the men and what is coming then he won’t live out the year.”  
“There will be a war, we all know that.”  
Frank blew a smoke ring and thought again of all the advantages that an outbreak of fighting among the families could bring him. The new breed of gangster was rapidly overtaking the old. It was not enough to run drugs and whores, there was no need to take all that risk. Run something larger and better alongside to mask the less legal side of things, he and Ray had discussed it long into the night. They could be rich and powerful in ways that Angel’s father would never understand.  
“He won’t get it until the first shots are fired. We have enough enemies and not enough of a powerbase. Not that he will listen to me.”  
The three of them stared out and down the gardens of the large estate. There were gardeners working, the bustle of a forthcoming party that the Don was throwing was coming together. Soon the great and good of society would drop their morals to come and party. All three of them would be there although Angel would grace Ray’s arm for the occasion. Mikey glanced at her.  
“What will you do ?”  
“If there is a war ? Keep out of the way until we see which side is going to win.”  
Frank chuckled at the matter of fact tone.  
“That’s your father.”  
“That’s my boss. If you think family loyalty counts for much you’re wrong.”  
Frank didn’t answer, they differed in this one area. While Frank could see the truth of her argument he prized loyalty. It was the way the old man had kept power and consolidated it for so long. Reward those who do good work, bind them to you with blood and honour. Angel preferred to go where the advantage would take her.  
“If the war goes badly for us, you’re a target because he’s your father.”  
She smiled before looking back toward the house and dropping her tone.  
“If the war goes badly for us there is nothing to stop me taking it over.”  
Mikey rolled his eyes as Frank shook his head. Like it or not, there was a good percentage of the men that would never follow a woman, even Angel Deforio. That she chose not to see that was a weakness and both the men considered whether there was a method of exploiting it. This relationship had no basis in loyalty, only lust and a shared interest. Frank decided they were edging into dangerous territory and changed the subject.  
“So are you finally gonna give in and cut Ray some slack tonight ?”  
“You mean am I going to fuck him ?”  
Mikey sniggered and both of them nodded which caused Angel to bat her eyelashes in the most demure manner she could muster up. There had been a bet made and she wasn’t about to lose it to either of the men beside her.  
“No. He’s a good man unlike you two and I can’t possibly take advantage.”  
“He’s hung like a fucking bull.”  
Angel’s head snapped around and now Frank did laugh out loud. The bet involved a hundred dollars and a lot of twisting of nipples and other body parts he didn’t want to think about. If she lost, he and Mikes would get a free pass to all kinds of new and interesting games.  
“Really ?”  
“A fucking great ox.”  
Mikey’s deadpan response made all three snort and then try to swallow it as the Don walked past, his arm around Ray’s shoulders. He smiled at his friends, wondering why all three went a little red before they continued walking towards the gardens. Ray was still amazed that she was going with him to the party, he had felt sure that Frank would get that honour.  
Frank himself was only interested in seeing who else would be there, what contacts he and Mikey could make. They needed to make some friends among other more senior members of the family and this would be the opportunity. Mikey hated parties but trusted that Frank knew what he was doing, it was all coming together well.  
“If there is a war, we could all die.”  
“If there is a war, we can take it all. We can be the future of this family.”


	19. Chapter 19

Gerard pushed Mikey’s head away from the crook of his neck and wondered how he could move without waking either of the naked men who seemed to still be fighting for possession of his body. It hadn’t exactly been lovemaking but he had come to the conclusion that it was as good as. Any guilt about sleeping with his own brother had evaporated a long time before. Mikey was rough on a scale that Frank usually held back from and the extreme submissive part of Gerard loved it and all the associated depravity that both his lovers could conjure up.  
It had relieved some of the frustrations and allowed Mikey to release some of the emotion that he had been storing up since losing James. Gerard had long accepted that his brother had been born a psychopath and had no outlet other than violence, the boy had helped divert that into something approaching a loving relationship and without that Mikey could only lash out with his fists. The growing purple haze of bruises forming under his ribs attested to that. He fingered the puffiness along his bottom lip and half smiled.  
Frank grunted but didn’t move as Gee managed to squirm out from the foot of the bed, the cold of the room causing him to grab his jeans before heading out of the master bedroom and down the stairs to find his shirt and phone. There was still work to be done, the captains would be reporting in and he had stockbrokers and foreign customers to sort. His pace quickened as he realised his phone was on the breakfast bar in the kitchen and it was actually ringing.  
“Yeah ?”  
“Gee ? Gee, please tell me its you and Frankie is there ?”  
Gerard instantly turned and began running towards the stairs, he knew this was going to be bad. He had come to develop a second instinct to bad news and the First Lady on a protected line in floods of tears qualified as bad fucking news.  
“Sharon, calm down and tell me what’s wrong. Where’s Ray ?”  
“H-he….he shot himself, he’s dead !”  
Gerard reeled, his bare shoulder connecting painfully with the wall as a single word roared from his lips. This was crazy, he had spoken to his friend the day before, it just couldn’t be.  
“FRANK !!!”  
Sharon continued to sob, haltingly explaining that she had gone down to find Ray after realising it was nearly three and he wasn’t in bed. Three secret service men had barred the way, the whole lower floor going frantic and refusing to tell her anything until she barged straight past them. They had been having problems and she knew he was being pulled in every direction but this ?  
Frank appeared in the doorway, sleep forgotten as he saw the pale and pained face that had seemingly aged Gee by twenty years. He barely uttered the whisper of Ray and dead before the phone was pulled from his grasp.  
“Sharon, did somebody get in there ?”  
“No, they’re saying suicide.”  
Her voice dropped and Frank fought against a silent scream as he watched Gerard pull Mikey from the bed and slap him awake. Already he could see three emails, all encrypted and from Ray’s direct account to his hidden address. The time was three hours before, sometime just after midnight and Frank already knew that this was no suicide.  
“Not buying it. He was speaking about the Geneva trip a few hours ago and he was fine if a little stressed.”  
“Your name is coming up Frank, they are talking about you. They will be coming at you very soon and I think you need to run. There are whispers of murder charges. I have to go, they’re looking for me.”  
The phone cut off and Frank resisted the temptation to throw it at the wall. Somehow Angel had done this, it was all connected back. She wanted to destroy him in every way and poor Ray had somehow provided the means to do it. A silent rage that felt like a cold boulder had placed itself in his stomach and Frank was ready to wage open war. The wolf was wounded and cornered and had never been more dangerous. He stared at the only two men left in the world that he could trust.  
“We need to disappear. Feds are going to try and pin this on us and we have little time. Ray sent us something we need to look at but for now send everyone home and tell them to lie low until they here from us. Gee, transfer all funds to offshore accounts and post a temporary close on all the production and shipments. Mikes, organise an escape route down to the house on the river.”  
Neither questioned, the assignments completed within a ten minute window as Frank threw clothes into bags for all of them, emptied his safe of nearly twenty thousand dollars and filled the trunk of the four by four with weapons. The escape plan had been used once before, the old house on the shores of an actual lake had never been in his name and the location had been known to five people. Two of whom were now dead.  
Mikey was silent, he too had gone into fight mode and concentrated on settling his men and arming up to finish this war once and for all. He too had no doubt that Angel had managed to find a way to take down the President and equally no doubt that there was probably most of the US intelligence services on its way to hunt them down. He kept the police scanner and his guards walkie talkie in the back pockets of his jeans until they were ready to go.  
“Everyone’s gone and all the captains have pulled the men out. We can lock the door and go.”  
“Gee ?”  
Gerard nodded, pushing the laptop bag down beside him and the pistol into his jacket pocket. This was new but the blood lust that governed the less sane parts of his brain was now focussed on keeping his brother and lover safe. The rest of it he would leave to Frank.  
Frank smiled, a part of him was glad to drop the façade of his business life, the whole two faced lie of being a pillar of society when he spat on them all and would kill whoever now got in his way. His entire world had narrowed down to finding Angel and his wife. He would face up to whatever else was on its way after. All that mattered now was putting an end to this once and for all. She had taken two of his family and it was enough.  
“We got Feds coming in from the north and local police. Take the back route.”  
Gerard caught the two radios as Mikey swung into the jeep and gunned the engine. Frank settled himself in the back and fired up the laptop. He concentrated on selecting the correct encryption codes to the files that Ray had sent and let the programme work its way into making them into legible words. It was the highest level code and it would need to run while they powered down back roads and out into open countryside.  
“She did this.”  
Gerard’s words were dripping with bitterness that Mikey found caused an ache in his groin. He much preferred the damaged side of his older brother. The calm and professional side was amusing to watch but his brother gutting a screaming victim with nothing bigger than a butcher knife was something that Mikey found rather beautiful. He would unleash this demon on whoever got between him and Angel.  
“Yes. She did. Ray was fucked up but he wouldn’t have killed himself. Somehow she got to him and these files will show us how. Anyone on our tail ?”  
“No, surrounding the house right now though and your phone is going crazy.”  
Mikey leant over and pulled Frank’s phone from his brothers hand. He smashed it on the dash and did the same to Gerard’s. He had never got around to pulling his from his jacket pocket but he would destroy that later too. All they would communicate with was the guards untraceable phone that resided in Frank’s laptop bag.  
Frank nodded and leant back, resting his eyes as the car continued on. The first blush of dawn was breaking the horizon when the laptop lit up to announce the programme was finished. Eagerly Frank clicked on the first email and read down the message it contained.

Frank  
If you’re reading this then I’m dead. This email is linked to a code for the FBI that signifies I died under mysterious or unexplained circumstances and will go only to you. All trace has been wiped from any other network.  
First, I’m sorry. I never meant to lie to you or to let things go this far. Angel was always my weak spot and I have allowed it to cloud my judgement for far too long. I believed that we could get away, have a proper life together that didn’t involve anyone else and to that end I set her up with Matt in California and was going to steal enough to join her there. Guess she played me for the fucking idiot I am.  
Tell Mikey and Gee I am sorry. I never meant to get James killed or for any harm to come to Claire but it spiralled out of my control and there is nothing I can do to stop it. They watch me all the time, they have a man on my security detail and nothing I say will stop her from this insanity so I am including with this details of her location, the names and last known addresses of all her associates and their families and every recorded conversation I could get my hands on.  
None of this makes up for what I have done. I know they will try and pull you down but there is nothing concrete to link back to you. Whatever charges they manage could be easily pulled down by your lawyers if that’s what they try. If they try and kill you, well I know you will deal with that.  
Nothing left for me to say but again I am sorry my brother.  
Love you all, never forget that.  
Ray

Frank opened the other emails, hot tears running down his cheeks. The betrayal burned but this was enough for him to find her. To bring a rain of destruction down on Angel and everyone who stood with her and against him and his brothers. Ray had been weak, in that way only, but in the end his loyalty to Frank had been the one thing to see him through. There was nothing left now but to kill every last one of them until only Frank remained.  
Until he stood at the top of the empire of ashes with the Way brothers beside him.


	20. Chapter 20

The world still turned but had fundamentally changed.  
Angel watched with an interested and somewhat surprised focus as the fallout from the events in the White House settled over an unsuspecting nation. The official cause was an unidentified and unspecified illness which was largely accepted with great sadness both at home and abroad. This mystified the person responsible, she had expected open warfare on Frank and wasn’t seeing a sign of that although the FBI released a statement saying that his companies had been shut down pending an investigation into “fraud”. Angel wasn’t about to let on but this was a miscalculation and she knew that if he was walking free, Frank would be finding the means to get to her. It presented an interesting dilemma. To do the sensible thing, get rid of the hostage and run so as to live or make a stand, take the chance and end it.  
She mulled it over, sipping a beer and enjoying the relative peace now that Zacky had taken Claire up to the prospectors outpost in the gulch. It was a good position, well hidden and only accessible by one road. If a last stand was needed it would be the ideal place. Gates had taken his money and disappeared, leaving the country for a while after this would be the best option even if it was ruled as a suicide or an “illness”. He was an interesting man and very good between the sheets but Angel didn’t trust him an inch.  
All that was left here was Matt and their boys, pending the return of Johnny who had been located just after Frank had vanished. He was banged up and not much use but it testified to the speed at which the other gang had been forced to relocate. Angel had also had the place searched for money, Ray had made sure to provide a couple of insiders for her who had been able to sweep through while supposedly looking for the former owners. Certainly the jewellery would top up the funds she was missing since paying the assassin.  
Being so low in number had advantages and perils of its own. It was easier to move around, to disappear and resurface where the enemy least expected It but it was also less cannon fodder to put in front of a very angry Mikey Way when he was after your blood. Again the sensible thing to do would be to lie low and let law enforcement do its job but Angel trusted the law less than she trusted anyone. If you want something done, do it yourself and do it right. There would be no botched jobs on her watch.  
So what to do…..  
The television was still bleating, angles and reaction from all over the world as the Vice President was sworn in and pundits raved about how great a man Ray Toro had been and what a tragedy to lose him in his prime. Angel half agreed with it, he had been a good man in many ways and so not suited to the path life had given him. She had regretted his death but never forgotten that he had been part of what happened to her in the first place, his guilt never wiped out by saving her afterwards. She had enjoyed his body, used his devotion and paid back his betrayal. If only the voting public knew what he had really been.  
“What the fuck ?”  
Angel winced at being pulled backwards from the chair by her hair and virtually flung into the wall. She was dazed, staring up at Matt for a moment before wisely scooting out of range. He was angrier then she had ever seen him, wild eyed and almost hysterical.  
“They went after the families Angel, they’re killing our families off one by one. You said he’d be ruined, not free to hunt us !!”  
She paled a little and stepped back, this wasn’t unexpected from her point of view really. In fact it was exactly what she would have done and it meant that Frank had information on them now. Just not what she needed for these men to hear.  
“Calm down. Who have they hit so far ?”  
“There have been phone calls all over, houses are burning, shootings. The men are leaving and I’m not going to stop them.”  
Angel nodded, careful to look concerned as she walked over to him and touched his face, looking him in the eye. The method of flight was fast being removed from the spectrum. She was faced with being backed into a corner that would need careful manoeuvring to get out of.  
“Your family ? Zacky’s ? Johnny’s ?”  
“Not so far.”  
“Then it could just be Frank’s men are lashing out at random targets. No need to panic yet.”  
Matt stared and for a moment considered strangling her with his bare hands. This seemed increasingly like she was willing to sacrifice them all to continue this feud and he wondered now whether the promised money and power would ever materialise.  
“This was not what I signed up for.”  
“What did you expect Matt ? Really ?”  
Angel couldn’t help the sneer that materialised on her face.  
“We took his wife. We killed Mikey’s lover in cold blood. We killed Ray and took everything away from him. Frank is bound to be just slightly pissed off.”  
“You said he’d be in no state to do anything about it.”  
Angel shrugged and went back to pacing as Matt ran a hand through his hair and tried to rationally think of what they could do next. He could see no option but to run and if that meant getting rid of the hostage then so be it.  
“We will be calm and make sure that everyone who we have left is looking for any sign of Frank and his men. He will call soon to make a deal.”  
Matt shook his head at the certainty in her voice.  
“What deal can we make now that will see us live ? He has no money to pay us off and no way is he going to meet us now.”  
“Frank has money, there is no way he hasn’t got millions stashed away.”  
There was a silence, broken only by the arrival of two men and a battered Johnny. Matt hurried away to see what he could do and how bad the damage actually was. It was a relief both to see his friend alive and to be away from Angel and her increasingly insane ideas. He felt an odd yearning to be back practising medicine full time and could only hope that Angel was right about the money and that there was still a way out of this whole mess.  
After finally giving Johnny a sedative, Matt headed back down toward the living room where Angel sat, still brooding and watching the television. His men were down to a bare five or six, nowhere near enough to put up a fight against a large force of men. He was about to try to reason with her again when his phone started to ring. He didn’t recognise the number and virtually shouted down the line.  
“Yeah ?”  
“Matt Sanders ?”  
“Who the fuck is this ?”  
There was a scream in the background and the blood in his veins started to ice over and run cold. Angel hadn’t looked up but the strangled gasp caused her to turn sharply around.  
“Mom ?”  
“Your mom says hi but she’s a little tied down right now and I have in no way finished with my fun. Now put the bitch on like a good boy.”  
Matt stood gaping like a fish until Angel removed the phone from his hand, a horrible wave of fear passing through her that actually was a surprise.  
“Frank ?”  
“No. I should have been allowed to finish the job all those years ago.”  
Angel shut her eyes and made a run toward the window to look out and down the drive. If Frank and Mikey had the home addresses of those closest to her then she could only guess that Ray had betrayed her yet again. Sneaky but she had to admit, a good move.  
“Mikey, this is between us. I told Frank that I would kill his bitch and I mean it.”  
“I don’t give a fuck, you killed my boy and I’m going to kill you for that but you harm one hair on her head and its going to be a repeat of everything that happened before.”  
She looked across at Matt, a plan slowly forming in her mind.  
“Fine. You want her and I want the means to disappear. You bring ten million here and I give her back. We go our own separate ways and never see each other again. Your alternative is that I kill her and you never see me again.”  
Both knew that the other was lying but there needed to be an end and if it meant believing a lie to get them within striking distance then so be it. There was a pause and then a loud sigh that told her that he was willing to play the game.  
“Don’t bother moving, we have your address. This settles nothing between us personally Angel, I will find you.”  
“Get me the money and you’re welcome to try Michael.”  
The line went dead and she tossed the phone aside, causing Matt to stare at her in utter disbelief.  
“That’s my mother !?!”  
Angel shrugged again and had pulled the pistol before he even had chance to utter another word. The gunshot echoed around the room as the corpse slumped heavily on the carpet. It was a shame but he was never going to understand just what this was about. She stepped over the corpse and used her fingers to gather the still warm blood. It took less than two minutes to write the address of the gulch cabin on the wall and a single sentence underneath.

INTO THINE HANDS I COMMEND MY SPIRIT, REDEEM ME


	21. Chapter 21

New Jersey 2003

“Jesus fucking Christ Frank, its eight in the damn morning.”  
Angel rubbed her eyes and tried to focus on the three men that had turned up on the front door at such a completely ridiculous hour. The previous night had been spent in a blur of coke, alcohol and some pretty male company, she hadn’t got home till nearly five and the last thing she wanted to see was Mikey’s smirk and Frank’s arrogance. Ray loitered at the back and at least had the decency to look uncomfortable, even upset.  
“We tried to call woman, not our fault you can’t hold your beer.”  
Angel stuck a finger up at him and let Frank and his friends into the apartment. There was little point in shutting the door in their faces even though she had an idea why they had come over. Ray had been trying to mend fences between Angel and her father for a month now and it was beginning to annoy her.  
“So what to what do I owe the pleasure of your company this morning ? You can tell dear old dad I’m leaving for Europe in the morning and I ain’t coming back.”  
“You’re leaving ?”  
Ray looked pained and stared at his two friends, Mikey and Frank both remained impassive if a little curious.  
“Yeah. He won’t listen and I’m fed up of doing his dirty work for him. I can make good money elsewhere and he can play his pussy games.”  
Frank walked over to the window and checked the street below. There needed to be no witnesses to this, it was going to be hard enough without the thought of having the police on his case. Mikey had positioned himself near the front door, silent and almost unnoticed.  
“Thought you wanted to talk him around, take the reins of the family.”  
Angel snorted and wandered into the kitchen to find aspirin and to see if there was any coffee. There had been a time when she had hoped that the old man would let her take her rightful place as his successor but he had made it clear that no woman, let alone his daughter, could head up his operation. She had resolved never to speak to him again, she had even discussed a possible takeover with Frank but now she really couldn’t be bothered.  
“I should know my place remember ? Fuck it, I’ll leave him to bury the family and then come and spit on his grave.”  
Frank grinned and planted a kiss against the back of her neck, winking at Ray who still looked sick and pale. This was a direct order, none of them had the option to back out and he knew that his friend needed this to finally understand the business he had chosen to go into. They might have all slept with her, held her, even in Ray’s case loved her but when the Don said someone had to pay then you did as you were told.  
Angel didn’t see the arm until it was too late, the prick of the needle into the soft skin of her shoulder was the only sign that something had gone terribly wrong. The powerful sedative quickly caused her eyes to roll back and Frank simply caught her and laid her on the floor. There looked to be nothing out of place as they all left the apartment, Ray and Mikey supporting and carrying her between them. Anyone would think she had just had one drink to many.  
The drive to the wood was completed in silence, Frank manoeuvring the car through traffic as Mikey calmly tied the unconscious woman’s hands tightly and tried to keep Ray from panicking. He had argued with them and wanted to warn her but Mikey had bluntly told him that it would be signing his own death warrant and that he should just get a fucking grip. The fact that she had said she was leaving made this unnecessary and he badly wanted to call it off.  
“She won’t stay hidden Ray, you know that. She’ll pop up and the family will kill all of us. I am not going to die like that, we have worked too fucking hard.”  
“Frank, please…..”  
Mikey handed him the bottle of whiskey, the drink clearly showing on his face as the only sign he was nervous about this. He was well aware that she was a better killer than him and if they were to live the day out they needed to do this while they still had the advantage. Not that he didn’t intend to enjoy it too.  
Ray was unsteady on his feet and little help as they ditched the car and climbed the last mile deep into the woods. Frank loved it up here and imagined himself one day owning a nice place in these hills, the day when he would have the family himself and not be a lackey. His discussions with Angel had been serious but he had no intention of sharing it with anyone. The idea to go to the Don and sell out his own daughter had been somewhat inspired. Now that it was happening though, even he needed a drink. Frank knew his own arrogance was something that could get him killed, he knew that loyalty to her should be equally as high as his own ambition since he had only survived due to Angel but he also knew that she wouldn’t hesitate if the roles were reversed.  
“Wake up Angela, we have a message from daddy.”  
Angel grunted and coughed in pain at the heavy boots connecting with her ribs, staring up at the men with confusion and then a slow smile. So they had sent boys to do a man’s job and expected her to go down easy…  
“Well, look who grew a pair of balls. I’m surprised Frank. I really am.”  
“The Don can’t have family plotting to kill him, even worse his own daughter.”  
Angel stared at them, noting the shovels, weapons and the looks of grim determination. Looked like they were serious enough to go through with this. She tested the rope that was holding her hands tied and earned herself a sharp slap as Mikey pulled her half up by the hair. He licked the blood from her split lip and dodged back as she spat at him.  
“Not one of you was man enough to do this alone though. Fucking pathetic.”  
This time Mikey struck her harder, Ray turning away as Frank joined in. He felt sick from all the whiskey and from what was going to happen. He didn’t want to see this, he had long allowed himself to distance what he did from what working for the mob really meant. He noticed that she didn’t bother to cry out for his help and tried to drown out the rest of the sound.  
“We are at least loyal. You never fucking got that and now it’s too fucking late.”  
Mikey grinned, the blood stained and barely moving woman beneath him was turning him on and he had an idea. There was no harm in enjoying that body one last time before they put an end to this. Grabbing the whiskey bottle from Frank he pulled her face around to his, noting that she was barely still with them.  
“She’s still pretty Frankie, what do you say ? Last fuck for old time’s sake ?”  
Frank walked over to Ray, grabbing him by the collar and dragging him back to where Mikey was already unzipping. He pushed the bottle of whiskey into his hands and patted him on the back as fresh screams echoed around the glade.  
“C’mon Ray, you know the old man needs to see that you’re on side and you may as well have one last kiss from the bitch.”  
“I….”  
Ray closed his mind and knew that it was equally as likely that Frank and Mikey would turn on him too if he didn’t go along with what they wanted. Survival instinct was proving to be a powerful thing and her body still caused him to feel desire despite the blood and crying that was now marring her features. He could do this, he could belong.  
Frank watched with little concern as his friends took to enjoying themselves. It was a perk of the business he guessed, couldn’t imagine it would happen to often and he knew that Mikey had always hated the fact that she was more experienced, higher up the totem pole than him when he was equally as talented. Some of the men might have followed her but the split in the family would have been disastrous for their own ambitions.  
All three were drunk and the bottle of whiskey emptied on the ground by the time Frank had taken his pleasure and it was time to put an end to the feebly twitching woman on the floor. He didn’t know if Angel was still alive and now he just wanted it over with. They had promised the boss that they would be back by nightfall and it was already getting late. The pale fall sun was starting to dip, a gentle wave of leaves falling down on the abused woman as Mikey picked up the revolver and handed it to Ray.  
“You get the first shot, don’t fuck it up.”  
Ray closed his eyes and took a rough aim, the feel of the firearm heavy in his hands as he pulled the trigger. The noise was unnaturally loud and he had to turn away at the fresh blood and the coppery stench that went straight to his head. He jumped in fright at the further gunshots, turning away to throw up violently as he heard Mikey giggling and Frank proclaiming that they had all earned a drink tonight. The old man would be pleased.  
They were all exhausted by the time a shallow grave had been dug and it was growing too dark to see much of anything. Frank wiped all guilt from his mind, Mikey already thinking about the work and prospects that would come their way. It was necessary, it was the right thing to do for their family even though it had meant betraying someone that had shown them all the path to follow. As the men walked back down toward the car, stumbling and covered in the blood of their victim, none of them could know that it would come back to haunt them all. That they would rise but so quickly fall again. Whether they would rise again would mean dealing with a legacy of blood and violence all arising from the events in a wooded glade and their own desire for power.


	22. Chapter 22

Claire tested the handcuffs that bound her to the chair and craned her neck to try and listen to the conversation that was taking place outside. The small lodge in the hills had no basement and therefore Zacky had kept her chained to the chair for long stretches, only allowing her bathroom breaks and meals. There had been silence between them, no repeat of the violence from before but she knew he was just biding his time.  
She was doing pretty much the same. Claire had no intention of waiting around for them to kill her and no doubt that Frank would find a way to get to her if she could just get loose. Zacky was one man, if she could find a way to get a hand free and something to disable him with then she could be out and down the hill with a reasonable head start. Angel’s arrival in the previous hour had made it all the more urgent.  
Something had happened, they had carried Johnny past her and into one of the cabin’s two small bedrooms and she recognised Mikey’s work from a mile away. The argument that seemed to be going on outside added to her sudden spring of hope that things weren’t going quite so well for her captors as before. The small man looked to be near death, his pained moans as two men had hefted him inside made her blood freeze.  
“Shit, come on !”  
Claire winced as she felt her skin tear and blood start to leak down the side of the cuff. She kept wriggling, determined that this lubrication could help her in her task and slowly the cuff started to climb up the fleshy part of her hand. A grim smile stalled on her features as the door was opened and Zacky followed Angel in, still talking in an icy tone.  
“What the fuck do you mean Matt is dead ?”  
“I did it for us, he was going to back out. This way we get the money and can just leave.”  
Zacky paused and stared, shaking his head.  
“You are one cold bitch.”  
“Maybe but we are fucking close now. Payday time is almost here.”  
Angel flashed Claire a smile, enjoying the venom that was oozing from every pore in the other woman’s skin. It was important to keep the remaining men calm and on side, not to let on that what was happening now wasn’t planned and that there was a reasonable chance that none of them would live out the day. Panic now would ruin everything.  
“Your old man seems to think he can still win this.”  
“Fuck you.”  
Angel smiled again and shrugged, following Zacky into the bedroom where they had laid Johnny. The door was pushed to and Claire decided that this was probably going to be her only chance. They had not locked the door, or at least she hadn’t seen them so it was worth taking the risk. She could sneak across and try it at least. If the door didn’t open then there was a window or she could slip the cuff back on and try again later.  
Claire tried to keep her breathing even and prayed that her leaden legs wouldn’t make her trip as she loosed the cuff. Her wrist was bleeding freely forcing her to wind down her sleeve to soak up the blood. If there was a trail they could follow her. Listening for any sound she crossed the space quickly and put a hand on the lever. There was a creak and for a moment she thought that nothing would happen before the door gave.  
The warm breeze that hit her skin felt odd after her isolation and she carefully closed the door before skirting the side of the building and trying to get her bearings. There was a lot of hills on either side of her, far too high to climb and seemingly guarded as she could see men with guns on both sides. They were thankfully looking the other way but it suggested that the single track down the hill would be guarded too.  
Claire scuttled across the path into the bushes and tried to rub some feeling back into her thighs before crawling into the cover that skirted the road. It was hard to stay quiet but at least she was out of sight and elation at being free was a powerful rush of pure adrenalin. She would get down that hill and find Frank, Gee and Mikey. Come back with them and watch the carnage that would ensue. She still intended to ask Frank for the pleasure of killing Zack personally.  
It seemed like an eternity of crawling before she saw the man in front of her. He was alone but the road he guarded was blocked by a gate and he clearly had an automatic weapon. Claire knew she only had minutes, maybe less, before one of her tormentors came out of that room and saw that she was gone. There had to be a way past and the rocky path pointed at possibilities. Claire worked her way quietly toward a reasonable size boulder and carefully lifted it.  
Still the man seemed not to have heard her and desperation combined with rage as she lifted the rock and brought it down heavily on the back of his head. The man grunted and dropped to his knees, the weapon dangling helplessly at his knees as Claire raised the rock again and broke it against his skull. He dropped and she landed on his back, another two blows making sure the man was never getting up again.  
Claire pulled the gun away, the triumphant smile disappearing at the shouts echoing from up the path. She grabbed the key from his belt and slipped through the gate, locking the chainlink again behind her and throwing the key far into the bushes. There was still no one in sight but less cover and she willed her legs to move faster. There was a good three hundred yards before there was more trees and bushes to hide in and part of her expected to hear gunshots and feel the hot sting of a bullet at any moment. Her nerves were completely shredded as she crashed into the foliage and realised too late that there was a drop.  
The ground disappeared and she fought back a screech as she tumbled, the only good part being that the gun stayed around her neck and didn’t go off. The floor of the forest connected painfully with her shoulder and hip before she came to a rest among a bed of leaves and moss. For a moment she rested back and let the pain ripple through her before gingerly feeling for broken bones and deciding that she had been fucking lucky.  
More noise and then gunshots which told her they had shot the lock from the gate and where now nearby. Claire dug deeper into the welcoming branches and held her breath. She had fallen far enough not to be able to see up and over onto the path and was hoping that they wouldn’t see her either. She gripped the gun closer.  
“FUCK, find the bitch. She can’t be fucking far.”  
Zacky was fuming, he had four men and a lot of woodland that meant Claire could have found somewhere to hide and now she had a weapon. Angel looked less concerned, there was still only one way in and one way out. All that mattered was that Frank believed that Angel still held his wife captive.  
“Leave the men searching and keep watching the perimeter. It’s more important that they don’t get the drop on us. Bitch can’t get far.”  
Claire felt her heart rise. So this could only mean that Frank was indeed on his way to find her. All that mattered now was staying hidden and avoiding these men until she found a way down to them. There had to be a way she could feed her boys the information that would give them the edge. That they were actually facing so few foes would surprise them and it worried Claire that it all seemed a little easy. Only a few men and a remote location seemed to be on Angel’s side and Claire knew she was too smart for that.  
“You heard the lady. FIND THE BITCH AND IN ONE PIECE.”  
Claire waited, listening to the sounds of footsteps dying back before risking a look up and around. There was someone nearby but she couldn’t tell if they were still up on the road and it was a difficult and quite dangerous path to shimmy along the bank and stay parallel with the road. Everything seemed like it ached but she kept her progress slow and persistent until things evened out a little.  
There were sounds around but Claire forced herself to keep going and risked another look before climbing back onto the path and scrambling across to the other side where there was deeper cover. A man whistled in the distance and she could hear shouts before they died back into the background. It was beginning to look like there was a town or some sort of habitation in the distance but she still had no idea where she was and the road just kept heading downward for what seemed like an eternity.  
Every muscle now ached and she badly wanted to rest but that vision of safety was so close. Claire closed her eyes for a second and took a few deep breaths before dropping to a crawl and carrying on down. The strong hand that gripped her mouth was more of a shock than the arm around her waist and Claire bit down hard, blood against her lips before a familiar voice echoed into her ear.  
“Jesus woman, are you fucking trying to take my hand off ?”  
Relief rushed over Claire in waves as Gerard removed his hand from her mouth and shook it in a real effort to dislodge the pain. Frank pulled her away from him, his rage rising at the bruised face and torn clothes but grateful to see that she was alive and armed. A swell of pride went through him as Mikey ducked back down beside him and Claire pulled his lips to hers in a long kiss.  
“How many Claire ?”  
“Not many. No more than six but that’s the only way in and they have a good view of you coming up.”  
Claire rested her head against Frank’s shoulder and allowed him to press a flask of water against her lips, gasping the fluid down quickly.  
“We will have to wait for nightfall.”  
“They know you’re coming.”  
Frank grinned at the Way boys. He wanted them to know, wanted Angel to feel the fear like she had before and know that this time he was going to make sure there were no resurrections. Gerard hefted Claire’s gun and checked the magazine before handing it back.  
“The car is down the hill. Go and lock yourself in and wait for us.”  
Claire stared at all the men before cocking and reloading the gun.  
“You have to be fucking joking.”


	23. Chapter 23

The hours seemed to pass slower than usual.  
Neither side seemed to want to go for an all out assault, neither had enough men for it but the agony of respective waiting was almost worse. Angel sat brooding in the cabin, not having a hostage now was making the urge to cut her losses and run seem like a very good option but there was still the chance of pulling off the coup. Zacky was determined to see it through, still reckoning that their odds were better than even. Johnny wasn’t awake enough to care either way. He wasn’t likely to see the action whichever outcome was decided.  
Frank was using the time to make sure that Claire had survived in one piece while Mikey and Gerard scouted the road ahead and tried to find an opening that would still give them the element of surprise. Claire had decided not to tell Frank about the rape, she need him to have a clear head and to stay alive. Once the threat was over, then she could confess to him what had happened and come to terms with it. He hadn’t exactly been happy about her staying with them, Frank would much rather that she had stayed in the car or taken herself back down to civilisation altogether. Claire was having none of it and Mikey had agreed, more so after hearing how she had taken down the man at the gate to escape and procure a weapon.  
“We will see this through together. This family has lost enough and I won’t leave any of you up here without helping.”  
Frank had pouted, about to argue before the younger Way had interjected.  
“We taught her to shoot years ago. She took down that man without alerting anyone around her. We need Claire with us.”  
“No. You’ve been through enough.”  
Claire stared at him, noticing how Gerard was finding the confrontation almost amusing.  
“Not arguing about this Frankie.”  
“Fine but be fucking careful and stay near me.”  
They had both noticed how the brothers had decided to go for another patrol, knowing that husband and wife needed time alone. He had been forced to break it to Claire that Ray was dead, probably by Angel’s hand. If not directly by proxy at least and that all of them were now on the run. She hadn’t been bothered by that part, pointing out that the new President was equally one of their men and would make the charges go away. Claire was just devastated that Sharon would have to face burying her husband alone.  
“I could be burying you, please be careful with this.”  
Frank kissed the top of her head, watching the sun start to dip as he tried to get comfortable against the tree trunk. He would never tell her how a similar thought had gone through his head along with the thought that if that happened he would follow Ray’s example.  
“I’m always careful and so are the boys. All we need to do is get close enough to take a shot, Mikey won’t miss.”  
“Neither will she.”  
They sat in companionable silence until Mikey and Gerard returned and the sun disappeared. They had found a route through the trees that would take them around the chainlink gate to a small weakpoint in the wire. Mikey had wirecutters and had made a tight fitting hole that would bypass the need to use the gate. It was still a long and risky path up to the cabin but it wasn’t now impossible.  
Claire had expected to feel nerves but there was an adrenalin surge in crawling through the wire and being able to see the bulky silhouette of the cabin in the distance. She stuck tightly to the rocky edge of the canyon and followed behind Gerard, Mikey in front and Frank behind her. Her eyes still adjusted to the light and she felt the breath seize in her lungs at the realisation that a man with a gun stood only a few feet in front of them. Claire saw Mikey’s teeth flash as he smiled and signalled them to stay put.  
Gerard also smiled, he loved watching his brother hunt and could hear nothing as Mikey crept forward despite the undergrowth and the pounding heat in his head. The other man never stood a chance and had no chance to scream as the taller man pulled his head back and viciously jammed the knife in his throat at an angle. There was still no sound as blood misted into the night air and Mikey laid the twitching body on the ground. Ammunition and weapon was stripped from the corpse and they continued forward.  
Frank could see the place clearer now and motioned to Gee to take up position behind the two parked cars that were at the bottom of the more gravelled drive, there was still little light and the cabin itself was in darkness. This bothered him, so far it had been reasonably easy and he had no doubt that if Angel could lure him into an ambush she would. Gee grabbed Claire by the hand and scrambled across the few hundred yards of scrubbed dirt to the vehicles.  
They were halfway across when a floodlight opened up the brightest beam of light, bullets chasing it down. Gerard threw Claire towards the metal, a cry drawn from his lips as a two bullets hit him in the hip and lower stomach. Mikey roared, opening up toward the mini sun as Frank registered that Claire was dragging Gee free of the line of fire, giving him a chance to join Mikey in returning the fire.  
“Aim for the light!”  
Mikey crossed his aim and took satisfaction in the shadow of a man falling to his firepower before the light blinked out and glass shattered. Things were even again, Frank whispering to Claire to stay with Gerard as he followed Mikey onwards. There was no stopping the tall man once the rage had been ignited and Frank knew that all the pain and rage of James’ death was now flowing out and it was better just to stay behind it. Another shadow fell and Frank could see the cabin clearer. Both men pressed onward, reaching the steps before pausing.  
There was no more sound, the night air seemingly swallowing the sounds of violence into a vacuum. The risk in entering was high but it was clear that there was no way to pull Angel out into the open without a prolonged fight that neither man had the ammunition for. Instead they would have to go in and hope that the odds had been evened enough.  
Mikey led Frank around the back of the house, not trusting the front entrance but not seeing an alternative until a low window half way down caused him to pause. No sound seemed to emanate from the room and when he risked a glance all he could see was a prone figure on the bed. By height and bandages, Mikey recognised Johnny and decided this was the best option. He was in and by the bed before Johnny even stirred. Frank didn’t blink, holding a pillow over the small man’s face until the struggles ceased and Mikey silently made his way to the door.  
Zacky had picked his moment well, erupting from the wardrobe and landing on Mikey hard, Frank couldn’t fire for fear of hitting his friend and caught his breath at the blade that was now pressed against Mikey’s throat.  
“Out. Into the main room or I swear to fucking god I will cut his throat.”  
Frank put up his hands, allowing the automatic rifle around his neck to dangle clear. He followed as Mikey was dragged back into the main room and a sardonic smile lit up his face at the way Angel was disinterestedly sitting in one of the chairs by the fire. She returned the smile, noting how good he looked close up and loving the rage in Mikey’s eyes.  
“About time you got here.”  
“Cut the crap. Claire is safe so you have nothing to bargain with.”  
Angel delighted in his rage, her hand resting easily on the pistol in her lap.  
“On the contrary. I have the evidence here to clear you of all the numerous charges that the federal government are laying at your door and to point to poor old Ray’s clear insanity. All I want is money. Which considering the debt you owe me is very little.”  
Frank allowed himself to appreciate the woman in front of her and match this to the one he had known. Without the blond or red wig she looked more like the younger version, short dark hair, swept forward and always dressed in the obligatory black.  
“The new president is a friend and I am broke.”  
“Bullshit and who cares if the press get wind of the full extent of the corruption then you’re dead already. Besides, I want Michael here dead. Like his boy.”  
“FUCKING BITCH !!”  
Mikey roared and hardly noticed the blade threatening to nick his jugular. Zacky strained to keep hold and for a split second all of the attention in the room was focussed on the two struggling men. When it came the gunshot was a complete surprise. For a moment all froze, Zacky teetering back as Mikey fell to the floor. The clean hole in his forehead and Claire’s triumphant smile from across the room as she turned the gun toward Angel. The target was spoiled by Frank and Mikey falling over themselves to get at the woman, Mikey’s hand grazing her shirt before she managed to duck under both men and put a clean shot through his knee.  
Frank jumped his friend, barely seconds behind her as he tried to negotiate the passage that lead off to two further rooms. He had lost sight of her which was now dangerous and slowed a little as he entered what appeared to be the kitchen. The door was open and he was about to follow outside when he noticed something stuck against the gas boiler above the sink. His eyes widened at the countdown and he threw himself back down the passage.  
“Get the fuck out, the place is wired to blow.”  
Claire looked up from wrapping the remains of her torn jacket around Mikey’s knee and paled even further, helping Frank to pull the injured man to his feet. They dragged him outside into the night air, painfully slow progress across the yard to where Gee still lay propped up against the car was halted as the night exploded into fire and sound. Frank threw both Claire and Mikey behind the object, waiting only for the initial blast of superheated air to fall back before getting a shoulder under Gee and dragging him further back to the bushes near the path to safety. With Claire’s help Mikey wasn’t far behind and they collapsed, watching the conflagration consume the house and everything around it.  
“Was she still in there ?”  
“I don’t know. The back door was open but there was no way around to the front from there or we would have seen her.”  
Mikey shook his head, grimacing in pain and frustration.  
“I don’t buy it. She had an escape plan if this went wrong, that bomb proved it.”  
Frank got up, wanting to find Angel and make sure she could never hurt them again before Gerard weakly grabbed his thigh and pulled.  
“There’s only one way down right ? To get past us, she’s got to come this way.”  
They waited for an hour, exhausted and nearly deaf from the explosions that continued to rock the clearing before Claire insisted they leave. Blood loss was a serious risk for the injured men and even Mikey had to accept that Angel was either dead or intent on vanishing. Frank agreed to bring men out there once the dust settled to determine it either way and they left the place to burn, content to have simply survived.  
Wearily, all of them headed down the hill and out into the sane and unsuspecting world.

***************************************************

Frank was right.  
All charges against him were dropped at the insistence of the new President and the federal government was even coerced into paying damages which amused Gerard greatly. The family stepped back from politics and returned to running its empire with some subtle changes. The way brothers recovered, Claire became more prominent in the family and they gracefully buried their dead.  
It was three months before Claire admitted to Frank the full extent of what had happened. They both cried, both screamed and even yelled at each other before appreciating the unbreakable bond that had formed now that husband and wife worked together as equals. He had left the hunt for Angel to Gerard and Mikey, the former convinced she was dead, the latter not happy about it but grudgingly accepting that even the best killers could get caught by surprise. His own near death had taught him that.  
“I’m going to the pool to tell Frank that last one was a dead end.”  
Mikey almost snarled the words at his brother who smiled and kissed his cheek. There was little he could say that would appease the situation but he kept trying. Gerard was just glad that all of them were still alive.  
“We will find her if she is alive but if not then you need to accept it.”  
Mikey pouted, unable to resist the demure drop of Gerard’s eyes and then stalked out into the fresh air, closing the door behind him and limping down towards where Gerard could see Frank and Claire by the pool. He watched and then pulled a phone from his pocket and speed dialled a number, it was picked up on the third ring.  
“Is it done ?”  
“Yes. The second ten million is in your account. Nice doing business with you.”  
“Likewise. You won’t hear from me again as we agreed. Have a nice life Gee.”  
“You too Angel. Say hi to Gates for me.”  
There was a chuckle and then the connection was broken. Snooping and bugging the former leader of the free world had paid off for Gerard Way. He had removed the only serious rival for the leadership of the family once Frank retired which also freed his brother to love him and him alone. He had also removed a backstabbing liar who had masqueraded as a best friend and who had been amply rewarded for giving Gerard the means to kill him. Finding Angel and persuading her to play Ray for a song in exchange for twenty million, a whole lot of revenge and a free pass abroad after that had been easy.  
Gerard stood up, taking the sim card from the phone and throwing it into the fire before heading down to the beach to be with his family. Once again, the Iero family stood tall and untouched in the land of free enterprise and opportunity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I have some ideas for the final part of the trilogy....


End file.
